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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 14, 2007

Charles Howell III

HONOLULU, HAWAII

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Runner-up Charles Howell III, thanks for joining us here at the Sony Open in Hawaii. I'm sure you're disappointed with the outcome of this week's tournament, but also have to be very happy with how you played overall this week, maybe start with some opening comments.
CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah, it was a tough day today. You know, the wind was blowing again, but from a little bit different direction and a little stronger it seemed like. So I got off to the start I needed to. I still feel that the front nine is probably the tougher of the two nines, and with the eagle on the 9th, got to 15-under and 2-under on the front and was very happy with that.
The two bogeys at 12 and 13, you know, that's just stuff you can't do when you're trying to win golf tournaments. You know, it sort of gets back to the same thing. I have to drive the ball in the fairway a little bit more often.
My short game is improving and it still needs to get a little bit better as well. I like the track and the path that my game is on. I just have do get better is all.

Q. When you were in the rough on 18, was eagle in your mind or was it birdie and a playoff?
CHARLES HOWELL III: It really wasn't either because it was a perfect yardage. I had had that shot earlier in the week, the 200 to the front straight downwind with the 8-iron. The ball didn't jump like I thought it would out of there. The main thing I was trying to do was eliminate the ball going way long, eliminate hitting anything over the green and the tough chip out of the rough down the hill. The chip, I think just wasn't good enough. It ended up in the easiest spot I think.

Q. Yesterday you compared your previous 54-hole lead, Nissan and 84 Lumber last year, so the 84 Lumber was actually a positive; what do you take out of this one?
CHARLES HOWELL III: Well, this one hurts. Yeah, this one hurts. Yeah, this one hurts.
You know, 84 Lumber, I probably wasn't ready to win that tournament. I had played good golf. The golf course fit me really well. You know, you can hit driver at 84 Lumber and hit it hard and carry a lot of the trouble. If there's horses for courses, that's mine.
This one here is not my style of golf course. It's a bit narrow, it's windy, it's tree-lined. I think this is much more a Luke Donald-style course. So it showed that my short game and scoring ability had improved to get here. The end of the day, I just didn't play good enough again on the back nine and I finished second again.
So, you know, at 15-under at the turn, I definitely was in control of the golf tournament, there's no doubt about it. The back nine is the easier of the two nines. And so to play that nine at 2-under par was very pleased with that.
You know, the drive I hit up 13 was actually the best drive I had hit on that hole all week, it just barely got into the rough. That's one of the hardest fairways in the world to hit I think. The second shot all of a sudden takes on a whole other level when the ball is in the rough versus the fairway. Same thing on 18. I think I read in the locker room, 14 percent of the balls hit that 18th fairway last year; does it maybe register something's wrong with that when you've got the best players in the world.
So you hit a shot there, you know pretty much no matter what, that ball is going to finish in the rough and so it's a guess now, is it going to jump and it didn't on both of them.
But to get back to your original question, yeah, this one hurts a hell of a lot more than 84 Lumber, yeah.

Q. Did you already talk about the lie on 18?
CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah, I had the identical shot a couple days ago there on 18. It was the same yardage to the front, the same lie. It was the same club, an 8-iron that knuckled. The other day I knock it up on the green and actually made eagle. It's the same shot. We didn't need to spend a whole lot of time evaluating it was just right there. Fortunately I got the line right, so the ball did trundle up there to where it was not a very difficult up-and-down. I just tried to skip the ball two times in the fringe and on the green and the ball just hit once in the fringe and obviously scooted off the green.
But yeah, if you're going to miss that green, I missed it in the place that you had to miss it.

Q. Did the putt fool you?
CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah, we misread that one. It broke hard left-to-right in the beginning. We read the putt just outside left edge and it was a bit more than that, yeah.

Q. Much has been made about the current state of American golfers under the age of 30. What do you think about that and where do you think your place in there is?
CHARLES HOWELL III: I think it's ridiculous. I don't understand it to be honest with you. It's not -- I don't even want to comment on it. I think it's ridiculous. I think American golf under 30 is fine. If you look across the board, if you look at the guys playing nowadays, I don't buy into that, no.

Q. You say it hurts now and it's been five minutes since you've been off the 18th green, where do you think this will be in about a week when you consider what you said the other day about giving yourself chances and how well you played this week starting out the year?
CHARLES HOWELL III: Well, you know, David and I, when you look at the end of last year, we noticed two things. I have to put the ball in the fairway more and I've got to have a better short game.
If you look at what hurt me today, at the end of round it was that; it was not putting the ball in the fairway, and the short game needed to be a little bit better. I got the ball down on 16 which was good, but again that ball needs to be in the fairway where you need to be to make birdie. We are progressing, but I still have to get better. I've still got a ways to go.
You know, this is -- to the going too far out on a limb, but I guess if Tiger turns at 15-under today, he wins today. That guy would have closed this tournament and won it. Vijay, same thing. I had great chance with a two-shot lead there, as well as I played the back nine earlier in the week. Just didn't do it.

Q. If some of the comments in your game of the last year or two where your long game is good and the putting has held you back, you've worked on the putting and for the most part putted well today and struggled off the tee, a little bit on the front and then some on the back there; I know you want everything as high as they can be, but does this tell you to keep doing what you're doing on the putting?
CHARLES HOWELL III: At the end of the day, it matters what you shot. You take all of the stats and fairways and greens and number of putts and all this. The only one that really matters is the score.
Fortunately for me, I think yesterday I hit two fairways. I don't think I hit a whole lot more than that today and still managed to finished tied second, so something was right.
But, if you are going to win the golf tournament and win it comfortably, then you've got to put the ball in the fairway and just keep getting chance after chance after chance. I mean, even paired with Luke today, let's face it, he's probably one of the most consistent ball-strikers right now of anyone I would say. There was even times out there we struggled putting his ball in the fairway and giving himself opportunities. They are not easy fairways to hit with the crosswinds. It's still no excuse, though.

Q. Club on 9?
CHARLES HOWELL III: Club on 9 was a 7-iron, yes, drive, 7-iron.

Q. And that was an 8 on 18?
CHARLES HOWELL III: Yes.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks.

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