Kite Is Up in the Clouds, Finishes Hope With a 62 : Golf: His 325 and 35 under par are records for 90 holes, and he beats runner-up Fehr by six strokes.

LA QUINTA — Tom Kite has reached a point in his career where he doesn’t believe there are many players better than he is right now.

“If that’s the case, there is no reason to back down,” Kite said.

Kite was in an attacking mode Sunday in the final round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at the Palmer course at PGA West.

When he had finished his assault, he not only won the tournament with a course-record 62, 10 under par, he had also established other records:

--His rounds of 67-67-64- 65-62--325 set an all-time tour record for a 90-hole tournament.

--He was also a record 35 under par for the tournament, which means that he was averaging seven under a round for the event.

“I kind of feel like the Dallas Cowboys must have felt. A lot of things went my way,” Kite said.

Kite, 43, who lives in Austin, Tex., had a near flawless round in beating runner-up Rick Fehr by six strokes.

He had nine birdies, an eagle and only one bogey during his round. And he finished with a flourish with birdies on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes.

However, it was his eagle at the par-five, 512-yard 11th hole that clearly separated him from the field. His 30-yard bunker shot found the cup.

Kite, 43, the U.S. Open champion, is apparently reaching still another higher level in his 23rd year on the tour.

Asked to identify the players he regards as better than he is, Kite smiled and said: “It’s a short list.”

Then, he added: “I think I’m a better player than I’ve ever been. It’s kind of incredible to me what we’re seeing in golf, the number of low rounds that are being shot at some pretty good courses.

“My game is just starting to be as good as I hoped it would be 15 or 20 years ago. My swing is solid, it allows me to hit my iron shots closer to the pin, I’m longer off the tee and I’m putting well.

“More important, I’m not afraid to shoot a low score now. It’s very easy to get protective out here. You get three, or four under and you just sit on it. You know that 68 is a good score.

“Now when I get to four under, I want to go five. When I get to five, I want to go six.” Kite is particularly proud of comparing his last two victories, the U.S. Open in June at Pebble Beach and the Hope tournament.

He said that he won the Open at only three under par under adverse weather conditions, along with severe rough and fast greens.

“It’s just the exact opposite here, relatively easy courses that are in immaculate condition and in perfect weather--and it took 10 under par to make the cut,” he said.

“Those two tournaments are about as extreme as you can get and I have always prided myself that I can play the difficult courses pretty well.”

“And now the easier courses are (also) more to my liking.”

Kite earned $198,000 by winning the Hope tournament, a event in which he was beaten in playoffs in 1992 and 1982.

As the all-time leading money winner on the tour, his career earnings are within $95,000 of the $8 million mark.

Kite is such a perfectionist that he was “burned up” after shooting a 65 at the Palmer course on Saturday. He reasoned that the round should have been better because he missed a couple of makeable putts.

Kite said he still thinks of himself as a conservative player, adding he also believes he’s a very smart player.

“I’m not afraid to take chances if the odds are on my side,” he said. “but I don’t do things if the percentages are against me pulling it off.

“My golf really hasn’t changed, I just stepped it up a notch.

Kite began the round with a one-stroke lead over Fehr. He was three strokes ahead even after a bogey at the ninth hole--his first bogey since the third round, a stretch of 32 holes.

Then, Kite got a birdie at the par four, 455-yard 10th hole by hitting an eight iron to within 12 feet of the cup, where he made his putt.

His eagle followed at the 11th hole and the rout was on. He finished by making birdie putts of 20, 12, 35 and six feet on the last four holes.

Fehr shot a 67 in the final round and was 29 under for the tournament.

Golf Notes

Tom Kite shot a 62 at the Nicklaus course at PGA West in the final round of the PGA Gland Slam last November to get into a playoff with Nick Price, who eventually won. Kite reasoned that his 62 in that event was slightly better than his 62 on Sunday. Kite also shot a 64 on the final day of the Tournament of Champions at La Costa in January to put the pressure on Davis Love III, who beat Kite by one stroke. . . . Kite now has 18 career victories. He plans to play in the Nissan Los Angeles Open that begins Feb. 25 at the Riviera Country Club. . . . Scott Simpson finished third with a final round of 66 (335). . . . Fred Couples, who was three strokes behind Kite at the start of the final round, shot a par 72 and was tied for ninth.