Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



The Loop

Kite heading to Seattle via New Jersey

August 22, 2009

SUNRIVER, Ore. -- Tom Kite will be making a lengthy detour between the Jeld-Wen Tradition and next week's Boeing Classic near Seattle on the Champions Tour.

Kite, who designed Liberty National GC in Jersey City, N.J., with Bob Cupp, will spend Monday and Tuesday at The Barclays, the first event in the PGA Tour playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

"We've worked hard to get the course really good," said Kite, who will fly from Portland, Ore., to Newark, N.J., Sunday night and travel from New Jersey to Seattle Tuesday night. "The proof will be when the guys see it this coming week. It's a fairly challenging golf course and some guys might not like it beause it's hard. All in all, I think most of the guys are going to like it. It's a pretty hard course, and if they get some wind, as they normally do, it'll be a pretty good test for them."

Kite said Liberty National, which is situated on New York Harbor with stunning views of the Statue of Liberty, hasn't been tinkered with since it opened July 4, 2006. "The only thing we've done recently is add a tee on the [324-yard, par-4] 16th hole," Kite said. "It was one we've wanted to get built for a long time. It was in a set-back area and we couldn't do it. We had to go through a lengthy permitting period to be able to get it done. Otherwise, there haven't been any changes."

This will be the third time a tour event has been played on a Kite course -- the LPGA had an event at the Legends Club of Tennessee in Nashville, and the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open is contested at Trump International Puerto Rico.

"The vistas are unbelievable at Liberty National," Kite said. "Whether the course plays good, we'll find out, but it's going to look good on TV, that's for sure. I'm looking forward to going back."

--Bill Fields