Monday, February 16, 1998
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
John Huston tees off on No. 17 yesterday in the
Hawaiian Open. Huston parred the hole, but birdied
No. 18 for a PGA Tour record 28-under total.
John Huston sets a PGA Tour
By Bill Kwon
record at 28-under and wins the
Hawaiian Open by seven shots
Star-BulletinThey closed the books on the 33rd and final United Airlines Hawaiian Open. But thanks to John Huston, the event could be in the PGA Tour record book for a long time. Sony takes over as title sponsor of the PGA Tour event next year, again at the Waialae Country Club. But people will remember the last Hawaiian Open as the one in which Huston broke a 43-year PGA Tour record. Huston shot a 28-under-par 260 with a final-round 66 for a runaway seven-stroke victory.
He bettered the Tour record for the most strokes under par for a 72-hole tournament set by Ben Hogan in the 1945 Portland Invitational and tied by Mike Souchak in the 1955 Texas Open. Both finished 27-under.
Huston also erased the Tour record for most birdies (31) in a 72-hole tournament. The previous mark of 29 was shared by Chip Beck, Davis Love III and Steve Jones.
Huston also tied the tournament's 36-hole record of 128, set the 54-hole mark at 194 and leapfrogged the 72-hole record of 23-under held by Hale Irwin (1981) and John Cook (1992).
With the $324,000 top prize -- the biggest payoff in the event -- Huston has earned nearly $445,000 in four events. Not bad for a player who had to use a one-time exemption as a top 50 career money winner to play this year.
"What can I say? It's a fantastic week," said Huston, who earned his first victory since the 1994 Doral Open. "It's been a long time so it's a great feeling to win. And to finish the way I did capped off just a tremendous week."
What made it even more special, according to Huston, was having his sister, Julie Jones, sharing the moment. She caddied for him for the first time because she wanted a free trip to Hawaii.
"She probably thinks it's like this every week," Huston said.
Huston did it with laser-beam iron play. He hit 90.3 percent of the greens in regulation.
In contrast to many previous Waialae winners, Huston accomplished his feat by doing a number on the par-4s instead of the par-5s. He birdied the par-4 14th all four days and the par-4 eighth three times.
"I was driving it really well and leaving myself a lot of shorter irons," Huston said. "I felt I had pretty good control. I felt comfortable going at the pins."
"I can tell John was on from the beginning," said Tom Watson, who played with Huston in Saturday's third round. "His iron play was superb."
Watson made nine birdies yesterday to finish with a 66 and a 72-hole 267. That was good for second place. A distant second.
"I hadn't shot 21-under par in 15 years," said Watson, who earned $194,400.
Trevor Dodds finished third at 268. Tied for fourth at 269 were Mike Reid, Brett Quigley and Greg Kraft. R.W. Eaks, who had the best score the final day (65), Steve Stricker, Olin Browne and Frank Lickliter finished at 270 as everyone surviving the 36-hole cut beat par.
But Houston was the par-buster of them all. And he knew it.
"I knew I was hitting the best of anybody," he said. "I knew I was playing well and my confidence was tremendous. I felt confident from Tuesday on."
He birdied the opening hole to go 23-under and made the turn at 25-under with birdies at the eighth and ninth holes. By then it wasn't a question of whether Huston was going to win, but if he would break the all-time Tour record of 27-under.
Two more birdies at 10 and the par-3 11th -- the latter after he stiffed a 5-iron to six inches -- got him to that figure. But he lost a stroke at the par-5 13th when he flew the green on his greenside bunker shot.
Talk about irony. He wound up breaking the record despite bogeying the easiest-playing hole in the tournament.
"I just didn't let it affect me," said Huston, whose two other bogeys during the week were the result of three-putts.
Huston got back to 27-under with a four-foot birdie putt at 15. Then, at the par-5 18th, Huston reached the green in two with a 4-wood shot from 262 yards out. He two-putted from 35 feet for the birdie, setting the Tour record with the final stroke of the final United Airlines Hawaiian Open.
"It was nice to get that second shot on the green," said Huston, who got a few pointers from Souchak, who he met years ago while playing a mini-tour event in Texas.
"If I get a chance to talk to him, it'll be great."
What would he say to him?
"Ha ha. Finally," Huston said jokingly. "I'm sure he can't believe it lasted as long as it did."
The all-time record of 28-under was a testament to the shape of the golf course and the weather, according to Huston. Still, he was elated.
"It's a thrill. It's something to be proud of. This record might be broken next week, you never know. So I'll just be happy with it while it lasts," said Huston, one of the Tour's most popular players.
"He can be funny. He's a closet comedian," Kraft said.
When it comes to making wisecracks, Huston said he prefers to stay in the background. But after his record-setting victory in the Hawaiian Open, his golf game is no longer in the closet.
The lowdown
The lowest 72-hole totals to par in PGA Tour history:
28 under: John Huston, 1998 Hawaiian Open
At Waialae Country Club Hawaiian Open
John Huston, $324,000, 63-65-66-66--260
Tom Watson, $194,400, 67-64-70-66--267
Trevor Dodds, $122,400, 65-70-65-68--268
Mike Reid, $74,400, 65-68-69-67--269
Brett Quigley, $74,400, 68-68-67-66--269
Greg Kraft, $74,400, 69-67-63-70--269
R.W. Eaks, $54,225, 72-63-70-65--270
Steve Stricker, $54,225 , 66-67-68-69--270
Olin Browne, $54,225, 67-66-66-71--270
Frank Lickliter, $54,225, 68-64-66-72--270
Steve Jones, $38,160, 68-70-67-66--271
Peter Jacobsen, $38,160 , 69-68-67-67--271
Larry Mize, $38,160, 71-66-66-68--271
Duffy Waldorf, $38,160, 68-66-67-70--271
Brandel Chamblee, $38,160, 68-67-66-70--271
Russ Cochran, $27,000, 70-67-67-68--272
Kenny Perry, $27,000, 67-67-68-70--272
Jay Don Blake, $27,000, 70-67-65-70--272
Skip Kendall, $27,000, 67-63-70-72--272
Robert Gamez, $27,000, 68-67-65-72--272
Tommy Armour III, $18,000, 67-67-71-68--273
Brent Geiberger, $18,000, 68-70-66-69--273
Keoke Cotner, $18,000, 70-67-67-69--273
Jim Furyk, $18,000, 69-68-67-69--273
Mike Weir, $18,000, 68-71-68-66--273
Craig Stadler, $18,000, 69-65-69-70--273
Hugh Royer, $11,981, 67-65-72-70--274
David Ogrin, $11,981, 63-69-73-69--274
Brian Henninger, $11,981, 67-67-70-70--274
Esteban Toledo, $11,981 , 69-68-67-70--274
Jeff Maggert, $11,981, 65-69-69-71--274
Curtis Strange, $11,981 , 65-67-71-71--274
P.H. Horgan III, $11,981, 67-68-68-71--274
Tom Byrum, $11,981, 64-68-69-73--274
Fred Couples, $8,874, 70-69-65-71--275
Tim Herron, $8,874, 66-71-68-70--275
Vance Veazey, $8,874, 70-69-66-70--275
Billy Mayfair, $8,874, 69-67-68-71--275
Howard Twitty, $8,874, 70-69-70-66--275
Brad Fabel, $6,308, 71-68-66-71--276
Keith Clearwater, $6,308, 67-65-73-71--276
Omar Uresti, $6,308, 68-67-69-72--276
Don Pooley, $6,308, 70-65-69-72--276
Iain Steel, $6,308, 71-68-67-70--276
Jim McGovern, $6,308, 67-70-67-72--276
Loren Roberts, $6,308, 68-69-71-68--276
Paul Goydos, $6,308, 66-68-69-73--276
Kelly Gibson, $6,308, 68-68-65-75--276
Joe Ozaki, $4,329 , 71-68-66-72--277
Dave Stockton, $4,329, 70-67-69-71--277
Woody Austin, $4,329, 65-72-67-73--277
Len Mattiace, $4,329, 70-67-70-70--277
Richard Coughlan, $4,329, 72-65-71-69--277
Jeff Gallagher, $4,329, 67-70-72-68--277
Clark Dennis, $4,329, 67-70-72-68--277
Tim Simpson, $4,329, 70-68-64-75--277
Taylor Smith, $3,960, 71-68-66-73--278
Kent Jones, $3,960, 69-69-68-72--278
Billy Ray Brown, $3,960 , 69-65-72-72--278
Paul Stankowski, $3,960 , 67-71-69-71--278
Sonny Skinner, $3,960, 69-67-72-70--278
Blaine McCallister, $3,960 , 69-69-70-70--278
Jimmy Johnston, $3,960, 72-67-71-68--278
Corey Pavin, $3,780, 71-67-69-72--279
Jim Carter, $3,780, 70-69-71-69--279
Doug Barron, $3,780, 69-70-71-69--279
Craig Barlow, $3,690, 67-70-73-70--280
Jay Delsing, $3,690, 68-70-74-68--280
Mark Carnevale, $3,528, 68-70-67-76--281
Steve Flesch, $3,528, 68-69-71-73--281
John Morse, $3,528, 70-68-70-73--281
Gene Sauers, $3,528, 68-70-70-73--281
Mike Springer, $3,528, 69-70-71-71--281
Fulton Allem, $3,528, 66-68-76-71--281
Tom Lehman, $3,528, 71-68-72-70--281
Gary Hallberg, $3,384, 68-71-71-72--282
Glen Hnatiuk, $3,330, 71-64-71-77--283
David Ishii, $3,330, 65-69-74-75--283
Spike McRoy, $3,276, 68-71-70-75--284
