A spectacular long bunker shot kept Charles Howell alive in sudden death in L.A., but he lost when his aggressive putting let him down

Courtesy of ABC

By Mike Bender
One of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers

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Charles Howell rode an emotional roller coaster on the second hole of his playoff against Mike Weir at the Nissan Open. After pushing his drive into a bunker 35 yards short of the pin on Riviera's 315-yard 10th hole, Howell, undaunted by Weir's clutch approach shot to eight feet, recovered by hitting an extraordinary sand wedge that stopped six feet from the cup (above). Given the circumstances, that was one of the best bunker shots I've ever seen, and I've worked in golf for 23 years, including three seasons playing on the PGA Tour. But Howell's hope was short-lived because Weir drained his birdie putt to put Howell in a do-or-die situation: make his putt to stay alive or lose his second Tour playoff in two attempts. His ball didn't even graze the hole, blowing three feet past, and the miss exposed a consistent flaw of Howell's that also beset Tiger Woods early in his pro career: an overaggressive style on short putts. Howell's putting mechanics are almost perfect. His hands hang straight down from his shoulders, and the putter's shaft is in line with his right forearm. But Howell, one of the Tour's most aggressive swingers, displays that same vigor with the flat stick. He needs to learn to soften his pace on short putts. On Sunday, Howell would have won in regulation if, on the back nine, he hadn't ripped three putts inside six feet well past the hole. Howell is only 23, but this Augusta boy will never win a green jacket if he putts as if he's trying to damage the back of the hole.

Mike Bender, 46, runs the Mike Bender Golf Academy at Timacuan Country Club in Lake Mary, Fla., and is one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.

Issue date: March 3, 2003