That nightmare in 1989 at Oak Hill, where Kite made two double bogeys and a triple bogey after taking a one-stroke lead into the final round, was the biggest weed in his garden. Going into Pebble Beach, he had played in 19 other U.S. Opens and disappointed in each. Ditto the British Open and the PGA Championship. One theory had it that Kite could win a major only if he shot a good score as an early starter in the final round and then waited for the field to back up to him or for a leader to fold. But as far as hanging in there and doing the things that were required on a very difficult golf course, this may have been the best.
Pebble Beach is an enigma.
For the better part of the week the Monterey peninsular breezes were light, the skies gray and the scores low for an Open. In fact when Morgan sank a 25-foot putt at number 3 on Saturday, he became the first player in U.S. Open history to stand at 10 under par. At that point, though, the wind picked up ever so slightly, and Morgan began throwing strokes back to the field. Starting at number 8, he went double bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey, par, double bogey. Faldo, Kite, Ian Woosnam, Mark Brooks, Joey Sindelar, Gary Hallberg.