STEWART OF OLD TIED FOR LEAD.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Daily News Staff Writer

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

By his own admission, it took Payne Stewart more than three years to figure that out.

Now, rearmed with that realization and rededicated to playing up to his considerable potential, the 1991 U.S. Open champion is back - loop and all, and let the chips fall.

Stewart demonstrated to near perfection Saturday that his old, once-discarded, since-reclaimed swing works just fine.

Hitting every green and missing only one fairway, he fired nine birdies in a bogeyless round of 63 at Indian Ridge Country Club to earn a four-way share of the lead in the 39th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

"I can't remember striking the ball as well as I did today," he said. "It was excellent golf - I'm proud of the way I played today."

His four-round total of 18-under 270 tied Mark Brooks, John Huston and Jeff Maggert going into today's closing round, which will be played on the par-72, 7,037-yard Indian Ridge course.

Fred Couples and Nolan Henke are a stroke back, trailed by Jesper Parnevik, Brad Bryant and Paul Goydos at 272, then Tom Kite, Fulton Allem and Jim Furyk (all 273) in the 90-hole competition played over four courses through the first four rounds.

Stewart's round was not only the second best of his 16-year PGA Tour career but also the latest step in a comeback he mounted after a monumental slump in 1994.

The dapper, knickerbockered Stewart fell 117 spots on the money list in '94, managing just two top-10 finishes while ranking 123rd with $145,687 in earnings.

He had never finished lower than 44th since his rookie year in 1981, and the former Southern Methodist All-American attributed a portion of his '94 plummet to a sagging mental game.

But the physical part proved as troublesome, because of a swing-tinkering process he started almost as soon as he had won the '91 U.S. Open title at Minnesota's Hazeltine National GC.

The tinkering stopped about the time his winless streak approached four years, when Stewart started to remember what a good golfer he had been before trying to get rid of a loop in a swing that had already produced eight tour victories.

"Aren't we silly," he said of himself and his fellow pros who often lose their own good game in pursuit of an elusive better one.

"Curtis (Strange) tried to get better after winning two U.S. Opens," Stewart said.

"We can be our own worst enemies," he said. "We try to be perfect, but nobody can be perfect. I'm guilty of trying, too . . . I was trying to get to the next level and maybe I was already there."

The biggest lesson Stewart learned, he said, was to trust a game that had already made him one of the best golfers in the world.

The new/old Stewart started to emerge last April at the Shell Houston Open, when he came from seven strokes off the lead on the final day to win his ninth Tour title. He finished the year 12th on the money list, finishing in the top 10 six times, and doesn't appear to be looking back at anything later than '91. Especially, he doesn't miss the ill-fated improvement project.

"I'm trying to let all that knowledge out of my head and let Payne Stewart show up," he said. "The loop is back in my swing."

Maggert, who had eight birdies in a round of 64 at Tamarisk CC Saturday, thinks it could take 24 or 25 under par to win - in keeping with the low-scoring tradition of this tournament, which also was played at Indian Wells and Bermuda Dunes during the first four rounds.

Kenny Perry won last year at 25-under and Kite holds the tournament record at 35-under.

"If you don't shoot four or five under par each day here," Maggert said, "you lose ground."

Huston, who had eight birdies in a round of 67 at Indian Ridge, said he felt fortunate to be in position to win.

"I haven't been fantastic," he said, "but I've taken advantage of the easy holes."

Consistency has been the key for Brooks, who shot 67 at Indian Ridge. He has had just three bogeys in the tournament but expects things will get tougher today.

"The pins are going to be more difficult," he said. "Tee to green will have to be more quality golf."

The way Stewart did it Saturday.