Matchplay. Closing Notes

Seven birdies in 14 holes were the magic numbers for John Huston, who beat Steve Pate 5 and 4 to win the consolation final of the $5 million Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship on Sunday.

"That was pretty close to the best golf I played all week," said Huston, who won $400,000 for finishing third. Pate got $300,000 for finishing fourth in the field of 64.

Huston got off to a fast start with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 1, and also birdied the second hole for a 2-up lead. Pate won the third hole, but Huston said the key came on No. 4. Pate holed a 50-footer across the green, and Huston sank a 20-footer for birdie, as well, "right on top of him. That was a big one."

Huston, who was 4-up at the turn, closed it out when Pate bogeyed 13 and 14.

"I didn't play too badly, but it was disappointing to bogey the last two holes we played," Pate said. "He was definitely in control all day.''

Both Pate and Huston said they enjoyed the match play format. After a week of upsets, Huston was the second highest seed left playing during the weekend, 27th. Champion Jeff Maggert was the 24th seed, runner-up Andrew Magee was 50th and Pate 61st.

MILLION-DOLLAR MAGGERT: Maggert's championship match victory over Magee, secured with a dramatic chip shot for birdie on the 38th hole, was worth $1 million and moved him to the top of the PGA Tour money list at $1,296,060. He earned a three-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in next year's Mercedes Championships.

After 13 runner-up finishes in his and just one win -- which came 5½ years ago -- Maggert said the victory was more important than the money.

"I've been sitting up here talking about second too many times," he said at his post-match news conference. "I needed to win for me, myself and I."

MAGEE & MONEY: Magee, on the other hand, had said after the semifinals on Saturday that the $1 million first prize was a motivating factor. He said he was thinking about the money all day Sunday, but that it had nothing to do with the outcome. He gets $500,000 nearly double his previous biggest check of $270,000 for winning the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational.

Magee was asked if the week's match play experience made him any more interested in playing on the Ryder Cup team, which competes for pride, not money.

"I can play for trophies, too," he said.

UPSETTING WEEK: Maggert knocked out two top-10 players on his road to the championship, beating No. 1 Tiger Woods in the quarterfinals on Friday and No. 9 Nick Price in the second round. The highest seed Magee beat was No. 15 Darren Clarke. Second-seeded David Duval was in Magee's bracket but was knocked off by Bill Glasson in the second round. Magee then beat Glasson in the third round.

HOLING OUT: The finalists played a total of 253 holes during six rounds over five days. Maggert played 127 and Magee 126.

EXCITING FINISH: Even if ABC-TV didn't get the marquee final matchup it wanted (no Tiger Woods, David Duval, Ernie Els, Mark O'Meara, etc.), it at least got two extra holes and a dramatic finish.

The finals of the last three Andersen Consulting World Championships all went down to the last hole. Unlike this tournament, where 64 of the world's top golfers gathered in one place, those championships featured qualifiers in different parts of the world, culminating with a two-day Final Four in Arizona.

FUTURE SCHEDULE: The Match Play Championship returns to La Costa on Feb. 23-27, 2000. It will move to Victoria, Australia, in 2001, then come back to La Costa in 2002.