Zone Sweet Zone

The zone is a wonderful place. I'd like to spend all my time
there. I've played well in 1998, but the only time I felt
perfect was at the Hawaiian Open. As you may have heard, I did
O.K. in Hawaii.

I shot 63-65-66 the first three rounds to get to 22 under.
Making birdies was easy; I was in that special place where your
swing is automatic and your rhythm's so good it feels like a
sort of music. It was hard to sleep Saturday night, but on
Sunday I could tell I was still zoned in. My swing felt like
syrup. Maybe that's why nothing fazed me, not even a horrible
shot. With a five-shot lead and a tricky lie in a bunker at the
13th hole, I should have just fatted the ball out onto the
green, but by then I felt invincible. I tried to finesse the
ball, hit too close to it and knocked it clear over the green. A
year ago a shot like that might've ruined my round. This year I
put it behind me and won anyway, breaking the Tour record set by
Ben Hogan and Mike Souchak by finishing 28 under par.

Something other than my new Fat Shaft clubs helped me: Last year
David Leadbetter introduced me to the health benefits of
magnets. Now, I don't know physics any better than Paul Azinger,
Ray Floyd or other guys who wear magnets probably do. I just
know that sleeping on a magnetic mattress cover and wearing
magnets in the soles of my shoes has relieved the bursitis in my
left shoulder that was killing me last year, when I finished
141st on the money list. My wife, Suzanne, has even become a
distributor for the Japanese company that makes them. We're the
only people on our block who get a volume discount on magnets.

This year has been a great ride so far. I'm still in a good
flow, maybe 90% of what I had in Hawaii. I haven't quite
recaptured that perfect rhythm, but I won't quit trying. Once
you've been in the zone, you can't wait to go back.

John Huston tops the PGA Tour money list with $646,490.

COLOR PHOTO: ROBERT BECK BIRD MAN Huston is a one-man zoning commission. [John Huston playing golf]