Kite’s 64 Closes on Pooley Lead : Golf: Top 14 players are within four shots of each other at Bob Hope Classic.

The player of the year was the player of the day in the third round of the $1-million Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Friday.

Tom Kite, the tour’s leading money winner in 1989, charged into contention by shooting 64, eight under par, at Indian Wells, regarded as the easiest of the four courses in use.

But Kite wasn’t the only player who burned up a desert course on a day when the clouds disappeared and the weather became warmer.

Don Pooley, who shared the lead in the opening round, has sole possession of it now. He shot a 66 at Bermuda Dunes for a 54-hole total of 201.

Peter Jacobsen and Australian Steve Elkington are only a shot behind Pooley.

Jacobsen, who shared the lead with Dave Stockton and John Cook after 36 holes, shot a 69 on the Palmer course at PGA West.

Elkington had seven consecutive birdies and finished with a 65 at Palmer, the most demanding of the four courses.

With his 64, Kite is at 203, along with Chip Beck, Mike Reid, Don Shirey and Robert Gamez, the tour rookie from the University of Arizona.

Kite, who earned a record $1,395,278 last year, was on the verge of an even lower score.

Starting on the 10th hole at Indian Wells, Kite had five birdies and an eagle on his front nine, making the turn in 29.

He got his eagle at the par-five, 483-yard 14th hole. He hit a four-wood just short of the green and then chipped in from 30 feet.

He added two more birdies on the back side, but three-putted his 17th and bogeyed the last hole, a par four of 398 yards, after driving into the rough.

The tournament record at Indian Wells is 61 held by Bert Yancey and David Edwards.

“If you’re going to compete in this tournament, you have to play Indian Wells well,” Kite said. “It’s the easiest course.

“The guys who will be contending are the ones who play pretty well at Indian Wells.

“I had a lot of fun today and I made a potful of putts. I hit about 16 or 17 greens in regulation, and I didn’t miss many fairways.”

Even though Kite might have had an even lower score, considering his seven-under-par front nine, he wasn’t greedy.

“If someone had given me a 64 before I teed off, I would have jumped on it in a second,” he said.

So the field has tightened with 14 players within four shots of each other.

Stockton, though, isn’t among them. He shot a 77, five over, at Palmer after opening rounds of 65 and 68.

Jacobsen was pleased with his round of 69 at Palmer, which will be the site of the final round Sunday when the pros shed their amateur partners.

“I probably played better than I did the first two rounds, but the greens are harder and faster (at Palmer),” Jacobsen said. “It’s incredible that Steve Elkington made 10 birdies (and three bogeys).”

Jacobsen likened the Palmer layout to target golf.

“You have to have your yardage down to pinpoint accuracy,” he said. “This golf course is different. This is Jack Nicklaus, up in the air, hit it as high as you can, bring your square grooves and stop it on a dime. And don’t hit it left, or right or you’ll be sleeping with the fishes.”

Playing with three amateur partners could be a drag for some of the pros, but most seem to enjoy the company of the less-skilled players.

“I definitely think you’ve got to pace yourself out there,” Jacobsen said. “You’re playing with three amateurs each day and every one of them is trying their guts out. You have to accept that. They may not be playing well, but you have to understand that if it takes them five or six shots to get to the green, that’s OK.”

Pooley, 38, lost a share of the lead Thursday by shooting a 70 after getting a double bogey on his last hole at Palmer.

“I let up on one shot and it cost me two shots,” he said of his approach shot that went into the water. “I was angry at myself by doing that at the wrong time. It got me a little more determined starting the day. I wasn’t going to let that happen again, but you never can tell.”

Pooley, who has only two tour victories during his 14 years on the tour, said he has hit the ball well all week.

He had seven birdies and only one bogey at Bermuda Dunes.

Elkington couldn’t recall whether he had ever had seven consecutive birdies.

The former University of Houston player, who joined the tour in 1987, began his round on the 10th hole at Palmer.

He bogeyed his first hole, parred the next one and then began his birdie run. It ended when he bogeyed the first hole on his back nine.

Golf Notes

John Cook had a 72 at Bermuda Dunes and is at 205, four strokes back. . . . Robert Gamez, who won the recent Tucson Open in his first start as a PGA Tour pro, shot a 67 at the difficult Palmer course at PGA West. . . . Sandy Lyle, the former British Open champion, had a 66 at Indian Wells and is at 210. . . . Lee Trevino, with a 68 at Indian Wells, is at 209.