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SONY OPEN IN HAWAIIJanuary 15, 2012Charles Howell IIIHONOLULU, HAWAII JOHN BUSH: We welcome Charles Howell III into the interview room, T‑2 along, with three other players, another solid effort at the Sony Open, comments on your week and also on the final round. CHARLES HOWELL III: Well, I really like this golf tournament. I would love to win this one. This one is right up there at the top. I've come close quite a few times now. Yeah, this tournament feels a bit different than others because it is the first week of school so to speak, and some early‑year jitters that I think a lot of players deal with, the ones that didn't start in Maui. So the tournament does have a bit of a different feel to it because of that. If it were the last tournament of the year, you would see more players relaxing on the beach and having a fun time. It's the first one of the year and you don't see many people on the beach at all. It is different because of that. Today I didn't‑‑ I just didn't putt very well. I didn't good to put any pressure on Johnson. But he played fantastic, he hit every shot he needed to hit and he played great. Q. When you most another top‑three finish, do you feel more frustrated or encouraged, because you've been close since 2007 before, but just can't seem to get that next win. CHARLES HOWELL III: Well, any other tournament, encouraged. Here, maybe a little bit frustrated. Yeah, it's‑‑ I mean, listen, it's still encouraging. It's hard to ever say a top‑three finish is not. But yeah, I would really like to get this one. Q. Considering your track record, especially here on the weekends on Sundays, you probably had to wake up feeling pretty good this morning, right, about your chances? CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah, I was excited to play today. I was happy with how my game was. I was happy with how I was hitting it. Yeah, I didn't think I would lose today because of my putter, frankly. I was really happy with how I putted the first three days. And just I was disappointed in that, especially missing two short ones. But, yeah, if I would have thought before the round, I wouldn't have thought I would have lost because of my putting. Q. Was there a time when he ever backed up or looked nervous to you? CHARLES HOWELL III: He played fantastic, right down the stretch. He hit a really good drive up 16, which he needed to hit. And then his shot on 17 to the middle of the green to make three there. That was the last place I think he could have lost it. And then obviously he played 18 with five to win, that must be a pretty good feeling; I don't know. (Laughter) I've heard it is. (Laughing). Q. How much leaderboard watching did you do? Did you see the leaders were struggling early? CHARLES HOWELL III: You know, you can't help but look at them, they are everywhere. And the meat of this golf course is really early in the round; it's holes 1 through 6. I expected the leaders to be level par‑ish or plus one on those holes. You're very rarely going to see somebody jump off to a hot start here and I expected that. Around the turn, 9, 10, 11, you start seeing birdies bop back up again but I expected that early. Q. You've had great success here obviously. What did you work on in the off‑season? And B, you're playing next week? CHARLES HOWELL III: Yes. Q. What do you take out of this for next week, because it's a totally different venue, but yet you just said that you've been playing pretty well, and you wouldn't have thought that your putter would have been the reason why you would have lost today. CHARLES HOWELL III: Well, I always enjoy the off‑season because I just love practicing. I'm a golf geek. I live in Orlando because of the good weather in the wintertime. So I played and practiced a lot. I spent a lot of time this off‑season with Grant Waite, and in sort of kind of a mentor role a bit. Grant is a member at Isleworth and we played and practiced together a lot, me and him and his son, Austin. So, yeah, that was nice. No matter what you do, you can't replicate what it feels like to play a tournament at home, but playing with another TOUR player who obviously hits the ball very well, is a smart man, was as close as I felt I could have gotten to it. As far as next week, I wish I could take the ocean views with me. And next week is such a different animal than this week where you go from a course where here, par is a good score on a lot of holes but next week you have to make a lot of birdies. So apart from‑‑ I mean, really, I'm encouraged by my finish, but next week is a lot different animal than this one. Q. There was a talk of conservative approach by a lot of players today because of the wind and the firmness of the greens, but when you're in contention with so many other players near the top there, how do you match that, if that is part of the equation at all with being aggressive and trying to win the tournament? CHARLES HOWELL III: Well, I thought the golf course played the most difficult today of the week. I think you saw that with the jam‑packed leaderboard. Also, where the hole locations were, it was hard to be aggressive at a lot of them and separate yourself. So when a course is set up and playing that way, each bogey hurts a little bit more, it's hard to get them back. Case in point, you look at the lack of low scores today by people at the top, Johnson at 13, what did he win by, two? There you have it. Q. I just have to ask, what do you think of Johnson's mustache? CHARLES HOWELL III: Oh, well‑‑ (pausing) (laughter) I haven't even given it thought. (Laughter). Of all of the things on my list to worry and think about today, that one didn't even make it. Q. Inaudible. CHARLES HOWELL III: I checked my flight itinerary before I thought about that this morning. Q. Would you have been in a better position halfway through the round, playing with Johnson‑‑ CHARLES HOWELL III: No, I couldn't have. I 3‑putted 9 for par, which was terrible, and that hurt. Had I 2‑putted that one and made birdie there, playing with the guy leading tournament; but missing a short putt on 9 and then 13, I just never put any pressure on him. JOHN BUSH: Charles, nice start to the year. Thanks for coming by. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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