Howell chases down Mickelson at Riviera
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2007 Nissan Open | Wrap | 19 Feb 2007
Charles Howell III today confirmed what has been a great start to season 2007 when he came from three behind Phil Mickelson, caught him and then outlasted him in a three hole playoff at the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles.
Howell had already made a brilliant start to his 7th full season on the PGA Tour by finishing runner up at the Sony Open and the Buick Invitational. It appeared for a long while today as if he was going to have to settle for a top three yet again before producing a strong back nine of 32 to catch, not only Mickelson, but the likes of Robert Allenby and Ernie Els who for much of the final day appeared to be Mickelson’s greatest threat.
Mickelson was still four ahead of Howell after he had two putted for birdie at the 11th, that coming after two contrasting and to a large extent typically Mickelson efforts. At the 9th hole Mickelson found the green but was blocked by a tongue of fringe that edged out into the green. He decided to pitch it from the green over the fringe and succeeded only in chunking it a few of the 25 yards he faced. His bogey there saw him slip back to 15 under and was at that point just one ahead of Allenby.
At the 10th Mickelson hit a brilliant second from a very difficult angle at the sensational par four but it ran off the back edge some 25 feet from the hole. After deliberating as to what club he might use, Mickelson used the fairway wood and trundled it onto the green and into the hole. He was back at 16 under and looked the likely winner. He appeared even more so at the next after the two putt birdie but while the challenges from Allenby and Els came and went Howell was emerging as the man most likely to challenge.
After leaving a putt from 15 feet in the jaws at the 12th, Howell birdied the par three 14th from 18 feet and then holed a 25 foot putt at the 16th to move to 15 under and was just one behind Mickelson at that stage.
Howell hit two fine shots to the par five 17th and was just off the edge. He hit a beautiful pitch and run across the green to less than two feet and the birdie had him at 16 under and now sharing the lead with Mickelson who was about to play his second to the same hole.
Mickelson found the green with two magnificent shots and although the 22 foot eagle chance missed, the birdie gave him the lead outright as he played the last. Howell had missed the green short with his approach from the right rough and chipped to 8 feet as Mickelson hit his drive at the last up the left hand rough line.
As Howell stood over the putt, Mickelson watched from over 200 yards behind and when it went in he knew he would need to make par to win. From 204 yards and expecting the ball to fly from the hanging lie in the rough, Mickelson was short and was left with an awkward pitch. He made a mess of it and was faced with a 15 foot putt to win. He missed and he and Howell were in a playoff for the title.
Just a few minutes earlier Allenby had also bogeyed the last to cost himself third outright and was forced to share that with Ernie Els and Jim Furyk. He had also three putted the 15th to end any real hope of a second win in the event. For Allenby however it has been a great start to the year, this top five adding to the three other top tens he had recorded in his only three previous starts in 2007.
The playoff began at the 18th and both players missed the green, Howell long and Mickelson front left. Both made very good par saves and so it was to the short par four 10th.
Mickelson was first to go and came up just short and right of the green but had an awkward angle to the back right flag. Howell pulled his three wood left and found the cart path. He tried to pitch it from the cart path but caught the trees ahead and dropped down a few yards short of the green. From there he hit a beautiful pitch and run to two feet and when Mickelson was unable to get up and down they moved to the 14th for the third attempt to break the deadlock.
Both players missed the green but again Howell hit a fine chip to three. Mickelson, electing to putt from the front fringe, got caught up and left the ball well short. His putt never looked like going in and it was now up to Howell who holed what would have been a nerve racking putt in pursuit of his first victory since his breakthrough win in 2002.
Mickelson might well have made a couple of mistakes in his typical cavalier approach but after his win last week and now this week’s great finish he has found the form that has him on track to defend at Augusta in six weeks time.
The other Australians, aside from Allenby, were Baddeley 13th, a finish that will further consolidate his chances to play at Augusta for the third time, Steve Elkington 18th on one of his happy hunting grounds (he won the PGA here in 1995), Rod Pampling 44th, John Senden and Geoff Ogilvy 51st, Peter Lonard 56th, Nick O’Hern 67th, Stuart Appleby and Adam Scott 69th and Mattie Goggin 79th.
The PGA Tour now moves to Tucson for the Accenture Match Play Championship and to Mexico for the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Photo – Anthony Powter
