Charles Howell III Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Looking Back at LIV Golf Mayakoba: 12 things you might not know

Clarkwin — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:36:12 +0000

After sifting through the statistics from LIV Golf Mayakoba, here are a dozen items of interest about the season-opening results of the new LIV Golf League:

How worthy of a champion was Charles Howell III of Crushers GC? Consider this: He was 4 under on the par-3 holes, 5 under on the par-4 holes and 7 under on the par-5 holes. No other player in the 48-man field was under par for all three categories. Also, consider this: On a tight, jungle-lined course, Howell suffered just two holes over par – a double bogey in the first round and a bogey in the second round. Not surprising, he led the field in bogey avoidance.
The 8-under 63 by Howell was the lowest final-round score shot by any of the first eight individual champions in LIV Golf history. The previous final-round lows were the 65s shot by Branden Grace in Portland and Dustin Johnson in Boston.
Speaking of Grace, the Stinger GC star started off the 2023 season much like he did a year ago at the inaugural LIV Golf tournament in London, with a third-place podium finish. Howell, Grace and second-place finisher Peter Uihlein were the only three players to shoot in the 60s in every round.
Pat Perez of 4Aces GC had his best performance as a LIV Golf member, finishing seventh in points. After two rounds at even par, Perez produced a final-round 5-under 66 to vault into the top 10. It was the third lowest round of the day. Perez also contributed counting scores in each round for the first time. Much like Howell, Perez likely felt a comfort level at El Camaleon. Of the 48 players in the field, only Howell has made more pro starts (14) at Mayakoba than Perez (11).
Brendan Steele (HyFlyers GC) gets medalist honors among the six players making their LIV Golf debuts. Steele finished at 6 under after his sizzling 65 in the final round, tying Cameron Smith for sixth place on the leaderboard. Other newcomers included: Sebastian Munoz (Torque GC) at 5 under, Mito Pereira (Torque GC) at 3 under, Dean Burmester (Stinger GC) at 1 under, Thomas Pieters (RangeGoats GC) at 2 over and Danny Lee (Iron Heads GC) at 3 over. Of the newbies’ collective 18 rounds, 16 counted for their respective teams.
With Munoz, Pereira and captain Joaquin Niemann each finishing inside the top 16 in points, Torque gained its first podium finish after failing to do so with varying lineups last season. The Spanish-speaking team didn’t have a great start – 5 over after the first round – but rallied with six counting scores in the 60s for the final two days.
Just two teams out of the 12 had the same three contributors in each round. Iron Heads GC relied exclusively on Scott Vincent, captain Kevin Na and Lee, while Smash GC did the same with Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak and captain Brooks Koepka.
Dustin Johnson’s 7-over 78 was certainly unexpected. In his first 23 regular-season rounds as a LIV Golfer, DJ had just one round above par – a 1-over 73 in the second round last year in Chicago. He did not finish outside the top 24 in points in any start last year, and in fact he had just one non-top 10 result, a 16th at Bangkok. So to see him end up 37th in Mayakoba is shocking. The easiest explanations? He finally encountered a course that did not suit his game … or maybe he was just due for an off-day.
Hitting greens in regulation is the path to success at El Camaleon. The three podium teams were also the teams that collectively had the highest GIR percentage, with the Crushers leading in that category at 69%, 4Aces at 67% and Torque at 65%. Meanwhile, seven of the top 10 individual finishers in points also finished in the top 10 in GIR. Howell was first in that category, hitting 43 of 54 greens.
Carlos Ortiz holds the LIV Golf record of three-putt avoidance with 184 consecutive holes. It’s a mark that remains active. He hasn’t suffered a three-putt since the second round last year in Chicago, when he bogeyed the par-4 12th hole. Fireballs GC teammate Eugenio Chacarra is second on the list (overall and active) with 179 consecutive holes without a three-putt. Johnson saw his streak of 164 holes without a three-putt end on the 18th hole in the first round at Mayakoba.
DJ failing to contribute on Sunday and Patrick Reed shooting three rounds over par would seem, on the surface, to be too much for the defending champion 4Aces GC to overcome. And yet they still managed a second-place finish thanks to Uihlein and Perez playing well and counting in each round. Give the 4Aces credit for a podium finish despite not running on all cylinders.
Just three players recorded lower final rounds than Phil Mickelson’s 4-under 67. Lefty’s final-round scoring average in his last 5 LIV regular-season starts going back to last season is 68.4. His HyFlyers GC had the second best performance on Sunday with a collective 11 under. The winning Crushers were 12 under on the final day.

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Charles Howell III takes the crown in Mexico to raise curtain on LIV Golf League 2023

Matt Smith — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 01:31:33 +0000

Charles Howell III was the man of the moment in Mexico as he eased to a comfortable victory in the season-opening LIV Golf Mayakoba at El Camaleon Golf Club.

The Crushers star claimed his first title of the tour after starting the day a shot behind dominant 4 Aces’ latest signing Peter Uihlein and RangeGoats’ new boy Talor Gooch.

Final leaderboards from Mayakoba ??#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/FomFAAd4zX

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 27, 2023

But, it was the veteran who has played this course more than any of the other 47 contenders, who came out on top to take the first of 14 lucrative winners’ cheques this season.

Howell was a man on a mission on a course he knows so well, carding eight birdies on a blemish-free round, while Uihlein faltered early and then, despite a late rally, never recovered from a horrendous treble at the 12th.

It’s Howell’s fourth worldwide victory of his career, and his first at El Camaleon, a course he first competed on in 2007 and was playing for the 14th time this week.

“Obviously, I don’t think you ever see a win coming,” said the 43-year-old Howell. “I’ve played in a lot of golf tournaments in my life, and I haven’t won a lot of them, and you have the doubts and the feelings, will you ever win again? To do it against this competition with these guys standing up here is more than I could ever dream of. I’m extremely thankful.”

Gooch simply had a mare, with six bogeys in a 76 tumbling him down to T-11.

Howell could not believe his luck and held his impeccable nerve for a four-stroke victory from 4 Aces Uihlein, with Stinger Branden Grace — so impressive early last year — third.

Howell’s triumph also meant Crushers finally got their first LIV Golf team victory, as Bryson DeChambeau finally came to the show after two poor days, going three-under on Sunday.

So it was all smiles for Crushers and Howell, who picked up a collective $7 million, with $4 million going to Howell and the team’s four players splitting a further $3 million.

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Charles Howell III says ‘money was not a factor’ in joining LIV Golf

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 06:29:36 +0000

By Joel Beall
In his introductory press conference Charles Howell III stressed that “money was not a factor” in his decision to join LIV Golf.

Howell, 43, is one of the newest members of the fledgling circuit, announcing his decision to defect from the PGA Tour last week. Unlike most LIV Golf competitors Howell’s departure was a surprise, his name not widely rumored to be a part of the league. He was seen as part of the tour’s player cognoscenti, a position earned thanks to his easy-going disposition along with making more than 600 career starts on tour. Though he won just three times across two decades Howell still captured more than $42 million in earnings. For better and worse, Howell was the paradigm for the riches that could be had on tour without being a star.

Which raised questions on why, exactly, Howell would want to leave for LIV Golf. Speaking to the media at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on Wednesday, Howell asserted LIV Golf’s guaranteed signing bonus and financial opportunities were not the impetus to leave the PGA Tour.

“For me, I’ve been there for 22 years, and it’s been awesome. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about the PGA Tour, what they’ve given me, the opportunities, et cetera,” Howell said. “But when this came along, I’m 43 years old, I’ve done a lot of that. I still love the game. I love the game more today than I did five years ago.

“Now that my son is playing competitive golf, I’m even more incentivised in the game. This is something really new and exciting.

“Bryson [DeChambeau] reaches out and says, I’d love for you to be a part of my team. That’s a compliment, but it’s also a responsibility,” Howell continued. “OK, I’ve got to play well; I’m responsible not only for myself but for Paul [Casey], for Bryson, for others. It’s new and exciting.

“Not that the PGA Tour got boring, but I’m extremely excited to be here for the next few years, and yeah, it’s a new venture, and at this age and this part of my life, it’s perfect.”

Howell entered the week No. 169 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He will be competing with DeChambeau, Casey and Shaun Norris in the team portion of this week’s LIV event in Bedminster. With his decision to join LIV Golf, Howell is expected to be suspended by the PGA Tour and will miss the FedEx Cup for just the second time in his career.

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LIV Golf: Jason Kokrak and Charles Howell III join Henrik Stenson at third Invitational Series event in Bedminster

Matt Smith — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 05:09:41 +0000

By Matt Smith
LIV Golf has officially unveiled its final three players for the at the Invitational Series event at Bedminster from July 29-31, with 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson making his debut alongside world No. 36 Jason Kokrak and three-time PGA Tour winner Charles Howell III.

The former world No. 2 was removed as Ryder Cup captain on Wednesday ahead of the announcement, with Team Europe saying: “Henrik Stenson’s tenure as Captain of Team Europe for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy from September 25 – October 1, 2023, has been brought to an end with immediate effect. In light of decisions made by Henrik in relation to his personal circumstances, it has become clear that he will not be able to fulfil certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe that he had committed to prior to his announcement as Captain on Tuesday March 15, 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of Captain.”

One of the most accomplished European golfers for over two decades, has won 21 times as a professional and amassed 149 top-10 finishes. Throughout his career, he has earned more than a dozen honours as the top performing golfer on global tours and competitions, spending over 300 weeks ranked in the top 10. Stenson has appeared as a player in five Ryder Cups, helping lead Europe to victories in three of those competitions (2006, 2014, 2018). Stenson will join Majesticks GC, captained by former world No. 1 and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood.

Jason Kokrak. Jamie Squire

Kokrak, an 11-time winner as a pro, has earned more than 40 top-10 finishes throughout his career. Since September 2020, he has been ranked among the top 50 players in the world, with a ranking as high as No. 20. Beginning in Bedminster, he will compete on Smash GC, captained by four-time major champion Brooks Koepka.

Howell has amassed 102 top-10 finishes throughout his career, including three professional wins. A former NCAA Division I Champion and Haskins Award winner as the country’s most outstanding collegiate golfer, he has been ranked as high as No. 15 in the world and has represented the United States in multiple international team competitions. Howell III will play for Crushers GC, led by 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau.

Charles Howell III. Mike Ehrmann

Howell III, Kokrak and Stenson join a Bedminster field that will showcase 11 major champions with a combined 21 majors won, four former world No. 1 players and nearly half of its competitors currently ranked in the top 100. The global field represents 13 different countries, features 18 players with 10 or more professional wins and includes future stars of the game who have earned NCAA National Championships and US Amateur Championships among their accomplishments. Players will compete in golf’s most exciting new format for $25 million and the chance to become LIV Golf’s third individual and team champions and earn points towards LIV Golf’s season-long individual competition.

“Henrik Stenson adds yet another outstanding resume to LIV Golf’s global roster of elite players. His career performances spanning majors, season-long individual championships and international competitions have cemented him as a leader in today’s game,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. “The addition of Jason Kokrak, who has been consistently ranked amongst the world’s best, and Charles Howell III, one of the United States’ top competitors for years, along with English standout Paul Casey further strengthens a field that will put on a show for the fans at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. I’m excited for the third LIV Golf competition and can’t wait for our shotgun start at this fantastic venue.”

The 48-man field will play across 12 teams of four players each. Teams will be announced in the days leading up to the tournament start.

South African Branden Grace of Stinger GC finished at 13 under par to secure the individual trophy at the LIV Golf Invitational Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, while 4 Aces GC captain Dustin Johnson and his new all-American lineup of Talor Gooch, Pat Perez and Patrick Reed took the team trophy in the first LIV Golf event held in the United States.

South Africans have now won the first two LIV Golf events, as former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel earned first prize in the individual competition at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational London at Centurion Club. Stinger GC, Schwartzel’s team captained by major champion Louis Oosthuizen, took the team honors in London with fellow South Africans and teammates Hennie du Plessis and Grace finishing second and third, respectively. Grace and Schwartzel are now 1-2 in LIV Golf’s season-long individual points standings.

LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster line-up:
Abraham Ancer MEX
Phil Mickelson USA
Richard Bland ENG
Jediah Morgan AUS
Laurie Canter ENG
Kevin Na USA
Paul Casey ENG
Shaun Norris RSA
Eugenio Chacarra ESP
Louis Oosthuizen RSA
Bryson DeChambeau USA
Wade Ormsby AUS
Hennie du Plessis RSA
Carlos Ortiz MEX
Sergio Garcia ESP
Pat Perez USA
Talor Gooch USA
Turk Pettit USA
Branden Grace RSA
James Piot USA
Justin Harding RSA
Ian Poulter ENG
Sam Horsfield ENG
David Puig (am) ESP
Yuki Inamori JPN
Patrick Reed USA
Dustin Johnson USA
Charl Schwartzel RSA
Matt Jones AUS
Travis Smyth AUS
Sadom Kaewkanjana THA
Hudson Swafford USA
Martin Kaymer GER
Hideto Tanihara JPN
Phachara Khongwatmai THA
Peter Uihlein USA
Ryosuke Kinoshita JPN
Scott Vincent ZIM
Brooks Koepka USA
Lee Westwood ENG
Chase Koepka USA
Bernd Wiesberger AUT
Jinichiro Kozuma JPN
Matthew Wolff USA
Graeme McDowell NIR
Henrik Stenson SWE
Charles Howell III USA
Jason Kokrak USA

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Charles Howell III cashes in Hawaii like its his own personal bank

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 21:59:43 +0000

Andy Lyons

By Brian Wacker
The third time wasn’t the charm for Charles Howell III at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Maybe the 20th will be?

Not that he’s complaining. Howell and Waialae Country Club go together about as well as Kelly Slater and a wave. Or, more accurately, like an ATM card and a bank machine.

In 19 career appearances in the event, Howell has never missed a cut. More impressive is that he has finished in the top 10 a total of 10 times, with seven of those being in the top five.

Total earnings: $2,948,281.91, making him the career money leader in the tournament despite never having won it.

“This tournament has obviously been really good to me,” Howell said Tuesday. “It’s an event that, Lord willing, I’ll never miss, as long as I can play.

“There’s been a couple that I’ve kind of messed up there at the end or could have played a bit better to maybe have won, but it’s been such a great event to me.”

Two that come to mind were in 2007 and 2012.

In 2007, Howell, who at the time had just one victory in six years on the PGA Tour, shot the best score of the third round, a five-under 65, to take a one-stroke lead through 54 holes. The next day, though, he shot two over on the final nine and failed to birdie the par-5 18th. His final-round 70 tied for the highest score of anyone in the top 10 and he finished one back of Paul Goydos.

Four years later, he was in contention again on Sunday, but a final-round 69 ultimately left him in a tie for second and two back of winner Johnson Wagner.

Still, there are varying degrees when it comes to success on tour, and there’s little arguing Howell’s at Waialae, where he also has the lowest score to par—58 under—of any player over the last five years. In all, he has finished in the top 15 a stunning 13 times.

“Looking back on it, though, I’m more impressed that I’ve had as many top-10 finishes as I’ve had here, simply because it is the first event back, if you will, after a break, and you don’t always know how your game is,” he said. “I do love the golf course, though, because I feel like it’s different from so many other places we play. So many golf courses we play now are huge ballparks and it’s just bash driver everywhere. Here, I feel like every hole you kind of have to think and know your angles.”

For Howell, that includes a trip straight to the bank.

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Patrick Reed’s Twitter blocking rampage, a Tiger Woods scare, and the most embarrassing golf shot ever

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 03:00:28 +0000

(Photo by Jam Media)

By Alex Myers
Welcome to another edition of The Grind where we’re pretty sure we’ve seen this movie before. An American dressed in all black just imposing his will South of the Border. Yep, we’ve definitely seen this movie before:

Of course, this had a slightly different ending with Patrick Reed taking home a trophy instead of getting his eyes gouged out like Johnny Depp. But overall, the good guys won. And if there’s anything we can all agree on these days, it’s that Patrick Reed is one of the good guys. Wait. No? OK, well, we’ve got a lot to discuss then.

WE’RE BUYING

Patrick Reed on Sundays: To be clear, I’m not giving Reed credit for being resilient and overcoming adversity at Club de Golf Chapultepec. This mess of him morphing from Captain America into Captain Controversy is his own making. But I am giving him credit for not succumbing to final-round pressure and being able to close out (big) golf tournaments better than just about anyone else these days. In addition to a green jacket and being a Ryder Cup hero, Reed now has two World Golf Championships, two FedEx Cup playoff events, and eight PGA Tour titles. Before turning 30. That is quite a résumé. And yes, he won just days after Brooks Koepka and Peter Kostis called him out for breaking the rules.

Apparently it’s easier to shush the haters at altitude. Although, Team Reed went on a Twitter blocking rampage following the victory, targeting everyone from fans to members of the media to fellow tour pros:

Oops! pic.twitter.com/uenL4bW0a8

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) February 25, 2020

Jeez. Not even Bryson DeChambeau has Eddie blocked! Anyway, congrats to Patrick Reed on the win and congrats to me on not getting blocked. Yet.

Viktor Hovland: Now here was an overwhelmingly popular victory. Hovland picked up his first win as a pro and the first for the country of Norway on the PGA Tour. Not surprisingly, Norwegian announcers absolutely lost their minds when he drained a 30-foot birdie putt to win on the final hole:

Viktor Hovland's win, as heard in Norway. ??? pic.twitter.com/mEcDvGXePI

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 24, 2020

What a talent, what a personality. This 22-year-old has superstar written all over him. We just hope he can overcome the Curse of Coco Beach.

Erik Van Rooyen: First of all, the South African more than held his own at the WGC-Mexico Championship with a T-3 finish. But just as impressively, the dude shreds on the guitar:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B55dsyclvcS/?utm_source=ig_embed

Great song, great playing. It’s almost enough to look past those joggers he wears on the course. Almost.

This bathroom: A bathroom is usually the least exciting room in a house, but that’s not the case for this man:

My Masters bathroom? pic.twitter.com/syMRVUfkmD

— Gregg Thompson/The Pond (@golf69ski88) February 19, 2020

Couple more for you: pic.twitter.com/GovniQcEYM

— Gregg Thompson/The Pond (@golf69ski88) February 19, 2020

Absolutely beautiful. And how about that toilet tucked away? That’s an Amen Corner everyone can appreciate. If this were a match, MASTERS bathroom is Tiger Woods and your typical master bathroom is Stephen Ames.

WE’RE SELLING

The Premier Golf League: The CEO of the potential new league, Andrew Gardiner, stepped out of the shadows and presented some interesting ideas like shotgun starts and four-man teams, but it might have been too little too late after Rory McIlroy said he’s “Out” and that he wants “to be on the right side of history.” With no Rory and Tiger/Phil barely on the right side of 50, it doesn’t seem like the PGL stands much of a chance. Even with Twitter gems like this:

https://twitter.com/premgolfleague/status/1230949491970379776

“Thank you Tiger”: Speaking of Tiger—well, not really—this was trending on Twitter on Friday and had golf fans freaking out that Tiger Woods was hanging it up:

https://twitter.com/xxJAHOOxx/status/1230127379760189440

Instead, it had to do with a Japanese wrestling referee Tiger Hattori retiring. PHEW!

This shot: My Golf Digest pal Christopher Powers loves (over)using the headline, “This is it, this is the best/worst (insert something) ever. But this is one case in which it applies. So without further ado . . . This is it, this is the most embarrassing golf shot ever hit:

My brother's friends first shot at St Andrews is unforgettable pic.twitter.com/DsKHW3TizB

— Tom (@culley999) February 21, 2020

There are shanks and then there’s this. Just brutal. And it occurred on the opening hole of the world’s most storied course and in front of a gallery. Talk about a nightmare.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour begins its Florida Swing with the Honda Classic, AKA that event with the Bear Trap. Unfortunately, because of the new(er) schedule, it can’t corral many of the PGA Tour’s stars, even the many who live in Jupiter and could walk to the course.

Random tournament fact: Keith Mitchell won last year and got quite the headline in the local Palm Beach Post:

Wow. Very unkind headline today. @pbpost pic.twitter.com/MtuZRXjvmj

— Peter Robbins (@gatortakes) March 4, 2019

Ouch.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—A PGA Tour pro will get attacked by an actual bear: 10,000-to-1 odds

—My wife will ever go for a bathroom like that: 1-MILLION -to-1 odds

—Patrick Reed doesn’t care what this no-name golf writer thinks of him: LOCK

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Brooks Koepka going all GQ. Literally.

It’s fashion, bro.
Had a good time talking with @gq
Check it out here: https://t.co/o0WfyRqBC0 pic.twitter.com/ZAUzcnJwEb

— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) February 25, 2020

Nicely done, Brooks. As someone who also did a shoot with GQ, I know there’s no better way to pad your wardrobe without spending a dime.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK (INVOLVING PUTTING GREENS)

Introducing Bryson DeChambeau’s “towel guy”:

Speechless. #TowelGuy @NoLayingUp pic.twitter.com/8D666VrpOc

— mdw (@mdw3344) February 20, 2020

Turns out, he was creating shade so Bryson could see the laser attached to his putter. True story. Still, quite a look. And how about Colin Montgomerie practising his putting at a PGA Tour Superstore?

When it rains in Phoenix where else to practice but @PGATSS pic.twitter.com/grpOdp0kFV

— Colin Montgomerie (@montgomeriefdn) February 22, 2020

No laser for Monty. Old school.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Check out 84-year-old Mary Ann Wakefield draining a 94-foot, full-court putt at an Ole Miss basketball game to win a new car:

LEGEND! 84-year-old Mary Ann Wakefield sunk this 94-foot putt to win a new car ?

(via @OleMissMBB) pic.twitter.com/Rkq2GDD8yk

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 23, 2020

Good for her. Rory McIlroy might want to take some notes.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I just suck at chipping.” —Viktor Hovland’s brutal assessment of his short game following his win in Puerto Rico was nearly as entertaining as that winning putt:

Viktor was asked about a bad chip he hit earlier in the round and this was his response… pic.twitter.com/lhVO1iBMRi

— Skratch (@Skratch) February 23, 2020

Although, with ball-striking stats like this, he could chip like my boss and still win on tour:

Highest Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee per round since the U.S. Open:

Viktor Hovland, +1.03
Rory McIlroy, +1.01
Cameron Champ, +0.82

Highest Strokes Gained: Approach per round since the U.S. Open:

Justin Thomas, +1.04
Collin Morikawa, +0.98
Viktor Hovland, +0.95

(min. 30 rounds)

— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) February 24, 2020

OK, maybe not my boss, but you get the point.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

The political mudslinging has gotten particularly nasty as we approach November’s Presidential election. First, Donald Trump knocked Mike Bloomberg swing’s speed:

Mini Mike is a short ball (very) hitter. Tiny club head speed. KEEP AMERICA GREAT! https://t.co/5DUj16jtZf

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 11, 2020

Then this past week, Bloomberg hit back with this billboard:

https://twitter.com/Mike2020/status/1230924914468773890

What a country.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PRO-WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Jimmy Walker and Erin Walker shared their first cooking video together:

View this post on Instagram

@tourwifetravels and I grilling up steaks and making homemade pasta. Our first IGTV – kids screaming, dogs barking – #realife @central_market @heb @kowsteaks @fiestaspices

A post shared by Jimmy Walker (@jimmywalkerpga) on Feb 21, 2020 at 12:46pm PST

First of all, it’s tough to beat steak and pasta. Secondly, Netflix might be calling about filming a new cooking series.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Golf’s ultimate showman took in a show during a trip to NYC:

Last night we went to the play ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and Ed Harris was beyond incredible as was the entire cast.
That is all I have to say about that.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 21, 2020

Thanks for the rec, Phil, but I wish you’d stopped by the office.

THIS AND THAT

Charles Howell III has now passed $1 million in earnings for 20 consecutive seasons and the 40-year-old is closing in on crossing the $40 million mark for his career. . . . Nineteen-year-old Stephanie Kyriacou, the 90th-ranked amateur golfer in the world, won the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville by eight shots. Something tells me there aren’t actually 89 amateur golfers better than her right now. . . . And apparently, there are some degenerates out there betting on which golfer gets to the tee box first:

All time bad beat for first golfer to the tee box (via: @NVanWyhe1) pic.twitter.com/ZnXQMptCte

— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) February 23, 2020

This makes me feel a lot better about myself.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What’s the dumbest golf bet I’ve ever made?

What’s the most embarrassing golf shot I’ve ever hit?

Has Patrick Reed blocked me on Twitter yet?

The post Patrick Reed’s Twitter blocking rampage, a Tiger Woods scare, and the most embarrassing golf shot ever appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Charles Howell III continues one of the PGA Tour’s sneakiest—and impressive—streaks

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 04:28:16 +0000

Sam Greenwood

By Alex Myers
Barring an unforeseen late-career push, Charles Howell III will not make the World Golf Hall of Fame. But when it comes to making money on the PGA Tour, the veteran player is nearly in a class of his own.

Howell’s T-53 at last week’s WGC-Mexico Championship went largely unnoticed, but he didn’t walk away empty-handed, earning $39,100. So what? Well, that chunk of change took him to $1,022,917 in earnings for the season, pushing him over the $1 million marks for a 20th consecutive year.

Only Phil Mickelson has a longer such streak in PGA Tour history with 24 years. And the 49-year-old is in good shape to continue that after his solo third at Pebble Beach two weeks ago that moved him to $686,094 in earnings so far in 2019-2020.

Many predicted Howell would win more when he turned pro after a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma State that included him winning the Haskins Award as the nation’s best player in 2000. But the fact that he “only” has three PGA Tour titles might make his consistent money-making even more impressive.

Howell was made aware of his streak last year. While he’s proud of his consistent play, he also knows he’s been fortunate to avoid injuries.

“I don’t really think about it, I didn’t even know about it until I was asked about it earlier this year,” Howell told GolfDigest.com in November. “But listen, I’ve been lucky to stay healthy and to play. I mean, there are a lot of great players out there, Tiger Woods being one of them, that, unfortunately, injuries kept him from doing that because he easily would have. But yeah, it’s something I’m proud of as far as consistency goes. Like I said, it does take a touch of good fortune and luck to keep doing it.”

Howell looks to keep cashing in as he closes in on a big career earnings milestone. The 40-year-old is less then $300,000 away from crossing the $40 million mark. At this rate, that should only take him a few more weeks.

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Masters-bound Charles Howell III looks forward to April after fearing his only way back to Augusta was his son ‘qualifying for Drive, Chip and Putt’

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 03:16:48 +0000

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Howell and his son, Chase, hit shots during a practice round prior to the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

By Brian Wacker
KAPALUA, Hawaii — There are a lot of perks for winning on the PGA Tour. The most luxurious being a ticket to paradise for last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, where whales breech in the distance, WAGs lounge at the nearby Ritz Carlton and players are treated to no cut and free money and World Ranking points. Of course not everyone takes advantage of the spoils—Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson weren’t there despite each having won for the first time in five years last season.

Charles Howell III?

“I gladly signed up,” said the 39-year-old.

His winless drought was a little longer than Woods’ and Mickelson’s. Howell’s playoff victory at last November’s RSM Classic was his first in 11 years and nine months, a span of 333 starts.

“It’s been [more than] 10 years but in one sense it has gone really fast and in another it’s felt like a lifetime,” Howell said at Kapalua, where he finished tied for 14th at 10 under par, 13 strokes back of winner Xander Schauffele. “You get caught out here in a schedule and a season goes, a season goes, a season goes and in that sense it’s fast. The other sense, there’s been a couple of kids, a lot of other changes and a few gray hairs.”

Some of those gray hairs no doubt came from Howell’s weekly routine of checking the Official World Golf Rankings and doing the math on what he needed to do to crack the top 50 to qualify for his favorite tournament, the Masters. Only once in the past decade (in 2012) has the Augusta native earned an invitation to his favorite golf tournament.

Another way to earn one is winning a regular tour event. But that’s something Howell wasn’t sure would ever happen again.

Before Howell even turned pro in 2000, many had him pegged for stardom. A longtime David Leadbetter pupil, he’d led Oklahoma State to a national championship and roped the individual title, too, while being honored as the top collegiate player in the country. He finished third in the John Deere Classic in just his third event as a professional, and in 2001 was the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year. He also hit the ball a mile and looked like he might be a rival to Woods for years to come.

Instead, he won just twice (in 2002 and 2007) in more than 15 years and garnered just one career top-10 in a major, at the 2003 PGA Championship, where he tied for 10th. Howell has hardly been a bust, though. He has 90 career top-10s and more than $37 million in earnings, which places him 20th on the all-time money list.

Still, the grey started getting greyer, and all the new kids on the block were suddenly hitting it farther than he was—and winning more often, too.

Then came the RSM last fall. Howell opened with a pair of 64s and on Sunday birdied 15, 16 and 17 to force a sudden-death playoff with Patrick Rodgers. On the second extra hole, Howell made a 20-footer for birdie for his third career victory in 529 starts.

“For a change, when I had a chance to do something I did something good,” he said. “There was a time where I thought it maybe wasn’t in the cards, that I wasn’t going to win again and maybe I’d just have nice career.

“Justin Thomas comes out wins right away, Bryson DeChambeau wins four times in one year; they’re all 25 and hit it miles. But to win again is great. It’s a good reminder to stay on my game.”

And an even better reminder of what came with it: A spot in the field in Maui but even more so an invitation to the Masters.

“For a while it was looking like my best chance to go back was [my son] qualifying for Drive, Chip and Putt,” said Howell, whose best finish at Augusta in eight starts has been a T-13 in 2004. “I’m giddy about it because I’m excited to go back there with my perspective now as opposed to before. I’ll appreciate being there more, enjoy being there more. I won’t let myself get anxious and nervous.”

Nor does he need to worry about checking the world rankings, either.

“No, not now,” he said. “I can give it a break, at least until April.”

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Would you take Charles Howell III’s PGA Tour career? He sure would

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 00:20:32 +0000

Two wins seems low compared to $35 million in earnings and 88 top-10 finishes, but consistency is something the 39-year-old is proud of

By John Feinstein
When the Wyndham Champions gots underway at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., last Thursday, Charles Howell III wasn’t there. He had initially planned to play because he loves to tee it up on the PGA Tour as often as possible. But, having turned 39 in June, he is more aware of the messages his body is sending him that he needs to rest every once in a while.

“I call it staying ‘tournament fresh,’ ” he said recently. “I’ve gotten to that inevitable point in life where I just can’t tee it up every week and expect to keep playing well. I have to work breaks into my schedule.”

It isn’t as if Howell isn’t still showing up at PGA Tour events on a regular basis. Through the PGA Championship, he had played 25 times this season and had made 22 cuts—meaning he’s had very few weekends off. The decision to skip Greensboro was based on one simple fact: He wants to play 29 times before the 2017-’18 tour season is over.

“Just decided I needed to rest and be ready for next week,” he said on Wednesday. “I want to get to East Lake.”

East Lake is the site of the Tour Championship, the fourth and final event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Howell is currently 46th on the points list, meaning he’s a lock to play in the first three events—the Northern Trust, Dell Technologies and BMW Championship—but needs to get into the top 30 to make it to East Lake.

And, while playing in the Tour Championship would be lucrative, the main reason Howell wants to get there is because it ensures him a spot in all four majors in 2019, most notably the Masters.

“At this point in my career, I don’t want to miss any majors,” he said. “I haven’t played in the Masters since 2012 and that’s the most important tournament in the world to me, especially having grown up in Augusta. If I’ve learned one thing in my career it’s that you can’t win the Masters sitting on your couch.”

‘If you had told me after I won at Kingsmill that 16 years later I’d only have two wins, I’d have laughed at you and told you that you were crazy.” — Charles Howell III

Howell is one of the best-liked and most consistent players on tour. Since he first arrived—without status—in 2000, he’s won more than $35 million and has never once been in danger of losing his playing privileges. Since the FedEx Cup points system was put into place in 2007, he’s finished no worse than 97th (in 2008) and has been as high as 13th. This year has been fairly typical with four top-10 finishes among those 22 cuts made.

“I think the best thing about my career has been my consistency,” Howell said. “I’ve only had one real lull and that was after I won in Los Angeles in 2007. I kind of had a mental letdown after that. The next year Heather [his wife] kind of gave me a talking-to. She said, ‘If you’re going to do this,’ then go do it—but do it all out.’

“Since then, I think I’ve played consistently well. I would like to have won more. I would like to have played better in the majors. But if I walk away from my career and my peers say, ‘He was a good player for a long time and a good guy,’ then I’ll feel pretty good about the whole thing.”

Howell and his wife, Heather, shared in celebration his first PGA Tour win at Kingsmill in 2002. Six years later, Howell got his second victory at Riviera.

The knock on Howell is that he has won “just” twice on tour—at Kingsmill in 2002, his first season as a full-fledged tour member—and Los Angeles in 2007. Even he admits to being surprised at that total.

“If you had told me after I won at Kingsmill that 16 years later I’d only have two wins, I’d have laughed at you and told you that you were crazy,” Howell said. “But I would also have said you were crazy if you told me I’d have played as consistently well as I have for this long. I didn’t see myself as that type of player.”

It isn’t as if Howell hasn’t contended frequently. He’s finished second 16 times on tour—going 1-4 in playoffs—and third another nine times. He has 88 top-10 finishes in all. In January at the Sony Open, he was recognized by t commissioner Jay Monahan for making his 500th career start. That defines consistency.

Only one of those top 10s though is in a major—a tie for 10th at the 2003 PGA. In all, he has played in 45 majors. His best Masters finish was a T-13 in 2004; his best U.S. Open finish a T-18 in 2002 and his best finish at the Open Championship is a T-28 in 2011.

“Funny thing is, I love links golf, I love playing over there,” he said. “And yet, my record over there doesn’t reflect that at all.”

Howell has played in the Open 10 times and only made four cuts. That is very unlike him, because most of the time he’s a cut-making machine. This year, he had made 13 straight cuts, then went to Carnoustie and missed the cut. He almost missed the cut at last week’s PGA after an opening-round 74, but came back to shoot 66 the next day and make the cut on the number.

Howell grew up playing golf at Augusta Country Club, which is adjacent to Augusta National Golf Club. He and his father, who is the chief of pediatric surgery at the Medical College of Georgia, learned the game together—Charles starting at age 7, his father as an adult.

They went to the Masters together every year and when Charles began playing well enough to get into national junior tournaments it was often his mother who drove him there. His brother Ben, four years younger than Charles, was never a serious golfer. “He’s into hunting and fishing,” Howell said. “He’s the redneck in the family.”

Howell is the rarest of PGA Tour players in that his politics, while they tend to lean right, aren’t knee jerk and aren’t necessarily driven by his wallet. “I’m a Republican,” he said after visiting the White House with his family during the tournament in Washington this past June. “But I’m fanatically moderate. I don’t tend to see things in black and white.”

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Howell went to Oklahoma State not because Coach Mike Holder had produced numerous PGA Tour players but because he thought he’d get better playing for Holder. “Never once thought about playing the tour,” he said. “I just wanted to become a better player. I had no idea where that would lead.”

By his junior year in 2000 he had blossomed into one of the best players in the country. Even so, when David Leadbetter, who was teaching him at the time, called him in his dorm room one night in the spring and said, ‘Charles, it’s time to take the next step,’ it never occurred to Howell that Leadbetter was talking about turning pro.

“I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve got some big tournaments these next few weeks don’t I?” Howell said. “I had no idea he was thinking I should turn pro.”

Howell won the NCAA individual title in one of those big tournaments and Oklahoma State won the team title. He won the Haskins Award as the top college player in the country. It was time to take the next step.

In 2001, he was voted the tour’s rookie-of-the-year even though he didn’t have exempt status at the start of the year. He remembers vividly the first time he thought he might have a chance to make a career in golf—a real career.

“I came to the Kemper Open that year needing to finish at least T-28 to be exempt for the rest of the year,” he said. “I shot 65 the second round and kind of cruised from there. Made it easily [finishing T-14]. After that I thought, ‘You know I might have a chance to do this for a living.’ ”

He has made a great living since then. He made the Presidents Cup team that played in South Africa in 2003. He partnered four times with Tiger Woods, and they went 2-2 as a team.

“I was completely lost,” Howell insisted. “Tiger took me by the hand and led me through everything. Did everything but order breakfast for me. He was great.”

Howell rarely talks about how successful he has been as a golfer. He likes to say that his dad is, “A much better pediatrician than I am a golfer.”

Perhaps so. But it’s worth noting that Howell wasn’t quite as lost in South Africa as he says: he beat Adam Scott, 5 and 4, in singles.

What’s significant about that week is that U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus put Howell with Woods for all four team sessions because he knew Woods would be comfortable playing with Howell. That’s because everyone on tour—even Woods circa 2003—is comfortable with Howell.

“There’s no one on tour who doesn’t like Thurston,” said Davis Love III—using the nickname attached to Howell in honor of the Gilligan’s Island character Thurston Howell III.

Golf’s Thurston may not be as wealthy as Gilligan’s Thurston, but he’s done just fine. He would very much like to win again, if only so his children—Ansley is 8 and Chase (Charles Howell IV) is 6—can see their daddy at his best.

“All they ask me at this point is, ‘Daddy, why aren’t you playing in the Masters,” he said, laughing.

Howell hopes to have a much different answer to that question in the next few weeks.

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They’ve made how much?! 9 PGA Tour pros with stunning career earnings

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 05:12:31 +0000

NurPhoto

By Alex Myers
Kevin Na couldn’t quite track down Bubba Watson during the final round of the 2018 Genesis Open, but his T-2 was his best PGA Tour finish in more than two years and his ninth career runner-up. More impressively — and perhaps, surprisingly — the $663,600 check Na took home from Riviera pushed him past the $25 million mark in lifetime PGA Tour earnings. Not too shabby for someone with one career win. Yep, that’s one win and more than $25 million in on-course earnings. Talk about getting a lot of bang for your buck. Or, buck for your bang, in this case.

It got us thinking if there are other names on the PGA Tour career earnings list who would cause a similar reaction — and of course, the answer was yes. In an age where the average win reaps well more than a $1 million payday, there are plenty of tour pros — from stars to journeymen — who have amassed small fortunes playing golf (Thanks, Tiger). Here are some of the most surprising, not in order of how unexpected their totals are, but how much they’ve made.

Matt Kuchar ($42,402,743): Kuch has long held the reputation as a human ATM, but more than $42 MILLION for someone with seven PGA Tour titles?! That’s a lot of big trips to the bank. Also, at No. 13 on the career money list, he’s the highest-ranked player without a major championship.

Luke Donald ($35,930,932): Similar to Kuchar, Donald has enjoyed a great career that has included multiple Ryder Cup appearances, and unlike Kuchar, a stint at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. However, considering the last of his five PGA Tour titles came nearly six years ago, the Brit still landing at 18th on the career money list — the only golfer other than Kuchar to crack the top 20 despite never winning a major — was a bit of an eye-opener. Not as much as the rest of these names, though …

Charles Howell III ($34,379,173): Chucky Three Sticks has been stuck on two PGA Tour wins for more than a decade, but that hasn’t kept him from raking in cash at a feverish pace. Since that last win at Riviera in 2007, he’s made more than $20 million. Pretty good for someone who has only played in five majors in the past five seasons.

Rory Sabbatini ($30,430,256): Thirty MILLION buys a lot of those silly cowboy hats.

Jerry Kelly ($28,962,248): The Wisconsin native won three times on the PGA Tour, but was a consistent — and busy — performer for two decades who racked up more than 600 starts. “It’s pretty good for a grinder,” Kelly said. Yes it is, Jerry. Yes it is.

Kevin Na ($25,232,107): No one has a better ratio of millions of dollars made to tournament wins. No one.

John Senden ($21,383,767): The Aussie has always been known for his accurate iron play, but that’s a lot of dough for someone with two PGA Tour titles — the last of which came by one shot over, you guessed it, Kevin Na.

Billy Mayfair ($20,303,642): Probably known best for being that guy with the cut putting stroke or the guy who beat Tiger Woods in a PGA Tour playoff, Mayfair had five career PGA Tour wins. Still, cracking the $20 million barrier is impressive for someone whose last victory came two decades ago. And he’s still pulling in paychecks on the PGA Tour Champions, finishing T-2 at the Chubb Classic last weekend.

Brian Davis ($13,323,356): We end with Davis because he’s made the most money of anyone on the PGA Tour with zero victories. Davis edged out Briny Baird ($13,251,178) for this honor. Or is it a distinction? Nah, we’re sticking with honour. Forget about never getting into the winner’s circle — or that unfortunate penalty in a playoff at Hilton Head in 2010 — making more than $13 million playing golf seems like a pretty sweet deal.

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