Golf: Kite flies into major lead

Tom Kite carded a course-record nine-under-par 63 to grab a three-stroke lead after the first round of the Senior PGA Tour’s MasterCard Championship.

Kite enjoyed a bogey-free round that featured a pair of eagles. Starting on the back nine, the 52-year-old made the turn at four-under 32 before taking advantage of both par-5s on the front nine.

He leads defending champion Larry Nelson by three shots with Doug Tewell, Bob Gilder and Jim Colbert four strokes off the pace.

Gil Morgan and Hale Irwin set the course record in 1998 and John Jacobs matched the mark in 1999.

Kite earned a berth in the exclusive tournament - which features 33 tournament winners and is the first of 37 official events on the Senior Tour in 2002 - by winning twice in 2000 and capturing the Gold Rush Classic last year.