Kite Leads Booz Allen

Tom Kite sank a 15-foot birdie at the 18th hole, bent his knees, punched the air with a fist and waved to the crowd.

“Heck, if this was the Champions Tour, they’d be giving me the trophy right now,” the 55-year-old Kite said Saturday at Congressional Country Club. “Can we change this and do that right now? It’s supposed to end after three rounds, isn’t it?”

The tournament would indeed be over, and Kite would be the winner, if this were the 50-and-over crowd, but they play four rounds in the PGA Tour’s Booz Allen Classic at Bethesda, Md.

If he can hang on for one more day against several talented players in their prime, Kite would become the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event.

The birdie at No. 18 broke a six-way tie and gave Kite a five-under 66 and a 10-under 203 total, one stroke ahead of Ernie Els (68), Stuart Appleby (65), Adam Scott (69), Luke Donald (67), Lee Westwood (69) and Steve Elkington (69).

Sixteen players were within two shots of the lead.

Only five players 50 or older have won a PGA Tour event. The oldest was Sam Snead, who was 52 when he won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open.