CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ( Kite ) |
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VSGA ARCHIVES |
Jim Kite and Bob Moyers
existence , production has grown from curing 400 hams per year to curing 18,000 hams per year .
That Kite , who turned to golf during the creation of his successful venture , earned the sobriquets “ Ham Man ” and “ Ham Bone ” is no surprise .
Kite and fellow 2023 inductee Bob Moyers dominated the VSGA Senior Four-Ball and VSGA Senior Stroke Play from the late 1980s to 2000 . The duo won a VSGA record five consecutive Senior Four- Ball titles ( 1991-95 ).
“ Four-ball is really hard to win . There are so many variables .” David Norman , the VSGA executive director at the time , said . “ Those guys were tough , unflappable and essentially unbeatable .” Kite was a left-hander and well known for phenomenal putting . “ He would sneak up on the ball , kind of slide into it ,” Norman said . “ Six to 10-foot putts were pretty automatic .”
Kite won or was runner-up seven times in the Senior Stroke Play . He won in 1989 . He was runner-up to Moyers in 1993 , won in 1994 , and won for the final time in 2000 .
Kite was tough in club and invitational events , too . He won six club championships , 13 Member-Guests and an Invitational at Greene Hills Club , where he was a founding member . He added 11 more victories at Farmington CC : three club championships , five Member-Guests as a member , two more as a guest and a Kenridge Invitational ( 1970 ).
Baseball was Kite ’ s first sport . He led Fork Union Military Academy to the state military championship in 1950 . He is in the Fork Union Hall of Fame .
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BOB MOYERS
Bob Moyers turned 55 years old , 32 years ago , and immediately tapped into a mother lode of Virginia State Golf Association senior titles .
All of Moyers ’ 13 VSGA championships came after he turned 55 . His professional career as a manufacturer ’ s representative took him to Texas for many years and prevented him from competing in as many championships as he would have liked .
“ Bob was always a superb golfer .” David Partridge , Virginia Golf HOF Class of 2020 , said . “ A true gentleman with an engaging personality , Bob was a superior ball striker who parlayed his dominant tee to green game to establish a prolonged standard of excellence in senior golf .”
Moyers won nine of his 13 championships in the span of five years ( 1991-95 ).
He teamed with fellow 2023 inductee Jim Kite to win a record five consecutive VSGA Senior Four-Ball titles on five different courses .
“ The [ Senior Four-Ball ] was a fun tournament to work ,” David Norman , the VSGA executive director at the time , said . “ They were great guys . They were happy and fun and good players and kind to their opponents . They were tough , but they also were gentlemen .”
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• Tied for third behind Virginia Golf Hall of Fame members Keith Decker ( 33 ) and Vinny Giles ( 15 ) on the VSGA all-time list with 14 championships .
• Won the 1972 VSGA Four-Ball ( with James Middlemas ) and the second playing of the VSGA Mid-Amateur ( 1978 ).
• Victorious in VSGA Senior Stroke Play in 1989 , 1994 and 2000 ; VSGA Super Senior Amateur and VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play in 2006 .
• Won seven VSGA Senior Four-Ball titles . Partnered with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Bob Moyers to win five consecutive Senior Four-Ball titles ( 1991-95 ). The other two titles came with Nelson Broach ( 1988 ) and Claude Williamson ( 1996 ).
• First VSGA Senior Golfer of the Year ( 1994 ).
• Runner-up in the 1987 U . S . Senior Amateur Championship .
• Died at the age of 88 in 2019 .
THEY SAID IT
“ While in law school in Charlottesville , I played numerous rounds with Jim Kite and Stan Fischer at Farmington . Jim was a fine player and one of the fastest players in the game . A wonderful human being , fun to be around and a great competitor .”
– Vinny Giles , Virginia Golf Hall of Fame inaugural Class of 2016
“ While Jim was a fierce competitor , he never took himself or golf too seriously , which together with his easygoing manner , earned him many friends over his long successful career .”
– David Partridge , Virginia Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2020
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS ( Moyers )
• No . 6 on the VSGA all-time list of champions with 13 victories . All came after he turned 55 .
• Four-time winner of VSGA Senior Stroke Play ( 1991-93 , 1995 ); claimed VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play ( 2008 ).
• Won VSGA Super Senior Amateur twice ( 2012-13 ).
• Partnered with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Jim Kite to win five consecutive Senior Four-Ball titles ( 1991-95 ). No other side has won more than three in a row . Moyers paired with Don Martz to win a sixth title in 1998 .
• VSGA Senior Golfer of the Year in 1995 .
• Moyers was one of four members of the inaugural men ’ s golf team at Bridgewater College in 1956 . The team won the Mason Dixon Conference title in 1957 .
• Won the Kenridge Invitational ( 1985 ). His 206 total set a 54-hole record at the time .
ALSO KNOWN AS
“ We affectionately called Moyers ‘ Old Bob .’ He is one of my favorite characters ,” Inaugural Class member Vinny Giles said . “ A wonderful man , husband , and father . A great competitor . I remember playing in the last group with him at the Kenridge when he won . Armed with a cart full of ‘ liquid courage / aiming fluid ,’ Old Bob used his slappy , low fade effectively to cruise to the win . I loved playing with him and spending time with him . He is as good as it gets .”
Moyers captured four VSGA Senior Stroke Play crowns during the same period . He won three in a row ( 1991-93 ) and won No . 4 in 1995 . Moyers ’ 1993 victory was by two shots over Kite .
Moyers partnered with Don Martz to win a sixth VSGA Senior Four-Ball in 1998 . They won by a stroke at their home course , Shenvalee Golf Club .
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2023 VIRGINIA GOLF HALL OF FAME |