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Howell-ing Mad
Shark.com Staff
January 15, 2007
As soon as the ball left his putter, Charles Howell III knew it had no chance. He disconsolately walked after it, reaching the ball about the time it stopped, a good 18 inches right of the hole.
Once again, Howell had come up short in his attempt to win for the second time on the PGA Tour. Once again, he will hear about unfullfilled expectations.
 | | In six years, Howell has never finished inside the top-100 in putting. |
"This one hurts," Howell said.
It should have. This was his seventh runner-up finish since that lone tour win, at the 2002 Michelob Classic at Kingsmill. No wonder some of his critics call him Charles Howell, the second.
Howell, 27, appeared to be in great shape to end his 4 1/2-year winless streak when he entered the back nine of Sunday's Sony Open in Hawaii with a two-shot lead. He also was leading the field in putting, so he apparently just needed to manage his game properly to pick up another cardboard-sized paycheck.
But Howell never made another putt that mattered, nor did he make another birdie. His last chance came at the par-5 18th, a hole he had played in four-under during the first three rounds. But his second shot came up short of the green, he chipped 17 feet by and settled for a par that left him a shot behind journeyman Paul Goydos.
When it was over, Howell sat down and rubbed his hands through his hair in obvious frustration. Yes, this one hurt, but he's been feeling this pain for a while.
He knows Sunday's disappointment will only add to the scrutiny of his career. Many observers can't understand how a former NCAA champion who was the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year in 2001 without even having his card can go this long without another victory. If you're counting, this is now 124 tournaments he's played in without entering the winner's circle.
"I understand the questions people have and the comments they make -- 'Why haven't you won more?' " he said. "It's not something I haven't laid awake at night thinking about it. But if you keep giving yourself chances, you have to win one."
Howell got so frustrated with his game last year he decided to leave his longtime teacher, David Leadbetter, hoping the change would kickstart his career. It didn't. He had a career-low three top-10s in 30 starts.
After he missed four consecutive cuts, Howell decided to reunite with Leadbetter. Howell admitted leaving Lead was not a prudent move.
"I think I panicked a little bit last year and quit working with David and went working with other people," Howell said. "Sort of like the Office Depot commercial, sort of hit the red button. I sort of went looking elsewhere. I did get frustrated last year. Didn't really know if I was on the right path or not, which is why I went looking for other golf teachers.
 | | Howell on winning: "It's not something I haven't laid awake at night thinking about it. But if you keep giving yourself chances, you have to win one." |
"During that time, I didn't play well at all. I played horrible, actually, during the summer. But I think looking back on it, it makes me 100 percent comfortable with where I am, working with David and his assistants. Plus, too, I feel that I'm a little bit under the radar, which is nice."
Leadbetter took Howell back -- they have been working together since Charles was 10 -- but not without a 30-minute lecture. Howell took the words to heart.
"I think when I left him, I think David knew I would be back," Howell said. "He was extremely supportive. He didn't say one cross word about anything. He was very open. He said, 'Charles, you do what you need to do.' And he said, 'Again, I think of you like a son. I want to see you successful. If you think you can play better under someone else, please do that.' "
Leadbetter (and others) has been saying for years that Howell's putter is preventing him from winning. He was 174th in putting in 2006 (29.75 a round), 145th in 2005 (29.44), 140th in 2004 (29.40), 113th in 2003 (29.20), 153rd in 2002 (29.34) and 181st in 2001 (29.68).
So maybe there's a silver lining in his second-place finish Sunday -- he ranked fifth in the field with 27.5 putts per round. Of course, he failed to make any putts when he needed to the most on the back nine of the tournament. But he's closer to getting win No. 2.
"My putter really bailed me out the first three rounds," Howell said. "We spent a lot of time on it, and I'm glad it's showing here."
| The Par Report is posted every Monday on Shark.com. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Greg Norman. |
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