As the U.S. Open begins, we catch up with World Golf Hall of Fame Member Tom Kite, who captured his first Major Championship 25 years ago at the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach. Kite also co-designed Liberty National, the site of this year’s Presidents Cup

You won the US Open 25 years ago. Do you get good vibes every summer when this Major Championship takes place?

I love the U.S. Open and all it represents. The Open is always a difficult challenge, and I always enjoy watching the players as they negotiate their way around the course. Winning our national championship should always be the ultimate test.

How would you say your life changed after your U.S. Open win?

Without the U.S. Open I would never have been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. I didn’t let the win change my life or perspective. I was already established as a good golfer and my family kept me well-grounded.

You have a disciplined practice regimen and hit many balls on the range. What is your routine and how has that translated into your game?

I love practicing and playing golf, especially tournament golf. Even though I’m now 67 and have been playing for more than 60 years, I do not look at the game any differently than when I was 10 or 12 years old when my parents would drop me at the course early in the morning and pick me up just before dinner. Many days my friends and I would hit balls, play 36 holes or more and have putting contests over and over, then get up the following day and do it again. I’m just a 67-year-old kid.

Davis Love III will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame this September. Davis thinks very highly of you. In your words, what type of player and person is Davis?

Obviously, Davis’ playing record speaks for itself, but what I like about Davis is the way he has represented himself, his family, his country and the game. Davis can be considered a true professional in every sense of the word. He belongs in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and I am very happy for him.

Talk about your love for Liberty National and the opportunity to co-design the golf course.

Getting the opportunity to co-design Liberty National with Bob Cupp was a dream come true. Taking an extremely abused tract of land in Jersey City and turning it into such a special golf course is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thank goodness Paul Fireman (Co-Founder of Golf Course and Chairman of Fireman Capital Partners located in Boston, Massachusetts) had the foresight to dream with Bob and me.

Why do you think Liberty National will be a great Presidents Cup venue? Does it favor a particular style of play?

Liberty National is a demanding course, but it truly does not favor any particular type of player — except those that are playing well. There is a great deal of balance throughout the course– long 4’s and short ones, reachable-in-two par 5’s and those that are totally out of reach for most and lots of flexibility in setting up the par 3’s. The greens are undulating and hitting the approaches close to the pin is critical to playing well as putting across ridges and humps will be testy.

But what better place to host the Presidents Cup than a stone’s throw from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Representing your country in this location will make all the players swell up with pride.