Huston joins Herron in lead

The golf course was playing so easy that John Huston tried to make birdies on every hole. He wound up with a share of the lead at the Buick Challenge, and almost in the record books.

Despite missing two birdies putts inside 5 feet on par 5s, a 6-foot birdie putt on the opening hole and a 12-foot eagle putt that got him thinking about golf's magic number, Huston still matched his best score on the PGA Tour with an 11-under 61.

That left him tied with Tim Herron going into the final round, and wondering just how low he could have gone Saturday.

"It was still a really good round," Huston said.

Huston and Herron were at 20-under 196, setting the 54-hole record at the Buick Challenge. Huston's 61 was one stroke off the course record by Steve Lowery in 1997.

"You just can't let up," Huston said. "I was trying to keep the pedal to the metal and keep going, knowing that everyone else was playing under easy conditions."

How easy?

Huston and Herron (65) were among a dozen players who shot 65 or better on the soggy Mountain View course at Callaway Gardens. The average score on a damp, overcast day was 68.2, the lowest it has been all week.

"I feel like I've just shot par," Craig Parry said after his 66, which left him one stroke out of the lead at 197 with David Toms, who chopped it around for a 63.

Imagine how Chris Smith must feel. He shot the best round of his career, a 63, and wasn't even low man in his group by two shots. Of course, he was playing with Huston.

"That's as much fun as I've ever had out here," Smith said. "There's no question he was dragging me along."

Huston had no idea a 61 was in the cards when he started, especially after missing a 6-footer for birdie on No. 1 and a 2-footer on the second hole. The rest of his round was such a blur he couldn't ever remember what clubs he hit to the green, only that the putts kept going in for birdies.

He made six in a row, starting on No. 3, to get into contention, chipped in from 40 feet on the 14th and then started thinking about a 59 when his drive landed next to Vijay Singh's pitch mark on the par-5 15th.

Because players are allowed to lift, clean and replace their balls in the fairway, Huston elected to use that pitch mark as a tee. He hit 4-wood to 12 feet, an eagle putt that would have put him 11 under for the round with three holes to play.

"If I made that, I thought I had a chance to shoot in the 50s," he said.

He missed the putt and had to settle for birdie, which required three birdies over the final three holes to become only the fourth player on the PGA Tour to shoot 59.

Huston was between clubs on the par-3 16th, hit 35 feet beyond the hole and was lucky to escape with a two-putt par. He birdied the 17th from 3 feet, then lipped out from 15 feet on the 18th.

Huston also shot a 61 in the second round of the 1996 Memorial, which he still considers his best round on tour because Muirfield Village is a tougher course and players were not allowed to clean and place their balls in the fairway.

Not many were surprised that Huston turned in the best score of the week. He makes a living on these kind of resort courses with wide fairways and Bermuda greens.

His six PGA Tour victories have come in either Florida (Doral, Honda, Tampa and Disney twice) or Hawaii, where he set the Sony Open record at Waialae with a 28-under 260.

That's what it might take Sunday - if there is a final round.

The forecast is for heavy rains, and more wet weather is expected the early part of next week.

Parry considered that as he stood on the 17th tee, one stroke out of the lead.

"Two birdies and I've got the lead by myself," Parry said. He finished with two pars.

Herron felt the same way, especially when he found the rough off the 18th tee, advanced it into the bunker right of the green and got up-and-down to save his par.

"It was going through my head a little bit," Herron said. "It's not the end of the world. I'm still going to have to make a lot of birdies to win this tomorrow."

After three days of low scores, that much is clear.

All they can ask for Sunday is a chance to play. Lefty often asks his caddie's advice on reading putts because Jim MacKay grew up in nearby Columbus and knows the grain. "Why don't you read them all? I'm struggling today," Mickelson told him on the eighth hole. ... Kenny Perry had a 66 and was at 202. He likely will earn enough money to surpass Brad Faxon as No. 30 on the money list and get into the Tour Championship. Stuart Appleby was at 204 and will need a strong finish Sunday for a shot at East Lake. Appleby is 32nd on the money list. ... Chris Smith did some scouting around and found a sports bar in Columbus, Ga., that carried the Ohio State-Penn State football game. The ex-Buckeye left Callaway Gardens as soon as his round was over.

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