DORAL-RYDER OPEN

March 8, 1998

John Huston

JOHN HUSTON: Once again, it was a difficult day and I hung in there pretty well. I putted really well. I didn't hit it quite as close as I would have liked a lot of times, but I putted exceptionally well. I was pleased with the score I shot. What can you say? Mike played really well down the stretch and came out on top. You've just got to congratulate him.

JOHN HUSTON: First putt went about 10 feet by.

JOHN HUSTON: Yeah.

JOHN HUSTON: Yeah, it was really fast, with the wind blowing that direction and everything when it gets over that little hill and there's nothing there to stop it.

JOHN HUSTON: I've been a pretty good putter, and I think when I'm playing well I hit the ball in the fairway, so I'm hitting it close to the hole. And I think I take advantage of a lot of -- if I give myself a good number of birdie putts I'm probably going to make a good percentage of them.

JOHN HUSTON: Yeah, I thought 10-under would be good. I thought anything in double figures would be a good score, even when I finished, though, I thought that was a pretty good score, the way the last couple of holes were playing.

JOHN HUSTON: It was out of my hands at that point, so I just had to sit back and see what the other guys did. I kind of figured when two of them got to 10-under, that one of them would par the last couple of holes and that's what happened.

JOHN HUSTON: Yes, I did. After Billy made a bogey I went over to the range.

JOHN HUSTON: Oh, certainly, it makes it very difficult when the wind is blowing that hard. The one putt that I did miss on 14 I could just feel the wind blowing over my left shoulder and I just pulled it feeling that wind, thinking I didn't want to lose that putt to the right.

JOHN HUSTON: Hit a good drive on the first hole, hit 9-iron about 30 feet past the pin and made that putt, a really good jump start. And then No. 4 I hit a 5-iron on the front of the green probably 45 feet and I made that. No. 5, I hit a sand wedge about 15 feet. 6, I drove it in the fairway bunker by the lip and hit it short of the green, and had about a 20-footer for par, and just made bogey. 10, I hit a 5-iron into the green, on the right fringe about 45 feet and 2-putted. 12, I hit it in the front bunker with a 3-wood and hit it out about 3 feet. 13, I hit a 3-iron over the back of the green 40 feet into the fringe and holed that. 14, I hit a pretty good tee shot and just caught the very corner of the fairway bunker and then tried to hit it in the middle of the green, I thought I had a decent shot, it went over the green, I hit a good chip, about 45 feet, and I was feeling that wind coming over my left shoulder and I pulled it.

JOHN HUSTON: Yeah, I figured if I got myself back to where I didn't have any pain in my shoulder and stuff and started really trying hard again and not being frustrated I still figured I knew how to play, I didn't figure it was gone. I was hoping it wasn't gone, anyway.

JOHN HUSTON: Yes.