Defending champ Charles Howell III searching for consistency in Northern Trust Open

From WorldGolf.com News Services

Blessed with all the natural talent in the world, Charles Howell III is on a quest for greater consistency.

Last year was a perfect example as to why. After a strong start that included a victory in the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club, Howell failed to capitalize.

Although he followed up his lone victory of the year with a tie for ninth in the Accenture Match Play Championships and a tie for sixth in the PODS Championship, he failed to produce another top-10 finish the rest of the way.

"My goal for this year is to be much more consistent," Howell told reporters this week as he prepares to defend his title in the event now known as the Northern Trust Open, which starts Thursday in Pacific Palisades, Calif. "I think if you look at my records over the past, I've had a bit of the ups and downs to it. If I am going to be the player that I want to be, I have to play more consistently.

"You look at the Jim Furyks or Vijay Singhs of the world and their names are always there and up near the top of that leaderboard. A big part of my plan and goals in playing this year is to play a lot more consistent."

Howell, ranked No. 38 in the world, finished last season with $2.8 million in earnings and placed eighth in the final FedEx Cup standings. However, after five top-10 performances in his first seven events, including a win and two runner-up finishes, the 29-year-old Augusta, Ga., native admits he was left wanting more.

"The start I got off to last year, I was really excited going into the Masters and all of the tournaments that are now spaced out over the summer, which are really important events — majors and The Players Championship, whatnot — and I didn't build on it at all," Howell said. "I really squandered away a really good start to the year."

Clichéd as it sounds, Howell said his fade down the stretch last year simply reinforced the importance of the fundamentals of the game. With that in mind, Howell spent a good deal of the off-season working on improving his driving accuracy and his short game.

"Not to harp on it, but if you go back to the guys that are at the very, very, very top, say Tiger, Phil, whoever, they always find a way with their short game just to sort of manage something out of the round," Howell said. "You're not going to hit it great for four days, but they are always able to find a little bit of something, and that's the one area which I am getting better at."

This week's field won't include Woods — the world No. 1 is scheduled to return to action in next week's Accenture Match Play Championship — but Mickelson will be there. Mickelson, who missed the cut last week in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, was the runner-up to Howell in a playoff last year at Riviera.

Mickelson said he's hungry to get a win before the end of the West Coast swing, which has traditionally been a strong stretch of the season for the three-time major champion.

"I like it, because I like getting off to a good start," Mickelson told reporters. "I like the West Coast and I like the momentum that comes with winning.

"I'm not going to put extra pressure on myself, but I feel like I'm playing well enough to have a chance on the weekend."

Even without Woods, there will be a strong field at Riviera. Of the world's top 20, 17 players are entered. Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Retief Goosen and Luke Donald will be on hand, making their first PGA Tour starts of 2008.

Northern Trust Open

SCHEDULE: Thursday-Sunday
SITE: Pacific Palisades, Calif.
COURSE: Riviera Country Club (7,279 yards, par 71)
PURSE: $6.2 million (winner's share: $1,116,000)
FEDEXCUP POINTS: 25,000 (winner's share: 4,500)
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m., 9 p.m.-midnight EST) and CBS (Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 3-6:30 p.m. EST)

February 14, 2008