It’s a long way from an 83 at a “laughable” U.S. Open to a course-record 61 at the TPC at Avenel, but Charles Howell III made the journey in just four days.
On a perfect day with the wind calm and the greens soft and smooth, Howell shot 10-under-par yesterday to take a three-shot lead after the first round of the Booz Allen Classic.
“I don’t reckon I’ve ever had a 22-shot swing before in two rounds of golf,” said Howell, still smarting from the brutal conditions in the final round of the Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Howell had the lowest opening-round score on the PGA Tour this year and the second-lowest round overall. Robert Gamez had a 60 at the Bob Hope Classic.
Howell went birdie-eagle-eagle yesterday on Avenel’s three par-fives and made six putts of 15 feet or longer.
“It was one of those funny days where everything tends to work your way,” said Howell, who called the round the best he’s ever had in competition. “The best you can do is get out of the way and let it continue to happen.
“Some people call it a ‘zone’ or ‘flow’ or whatever. . . . You get that feeling that you can do nothing wrong.”
Scores were low all day. The average was an Avenel-record 70.897.
Seventy-six players were under par—exactly 76 more than broke even on the fast, hard greens in the final round of the Open. Those conditions still rate as a sore point for many players, including Howell, who went from three-over to 16-over in the final round at Shinnecock.
“It got laughable,” Howell said. “Since starting to play golf and dreaming to win a major championship, I never ever in my wildest dreams thought a Sunday round teeing off at 2 o’clock was going to turn laughable.
“I thought the USGA did a poor job of setting the golf course up.”
No one could complain yesterday about Avenel, which can be a tough course when the wind is blowing because of its tricky rough. The lack of a breeze, along with softened greens from rains earlier in the week, made it unusually enticing.
“This course is in perfect shape. It’s in the same exact conditions when I won here in ’99,” said Rich Beem, who was tied for second with a 64. “The rough is not overly thick, but the greens are dynamite.”
Beem and Olin Browne were three strokes off the lead. Jeff Sluman is four back after a 65. David Morland IV of Aurora, Ont. shot a 69 yesterday.
The only downside to Howell’s record round was that there were so few people to witness it. A gallery of exactly 32 fans walked with him down the fairway along No. 8—the hole at which he sank a 20-foot putt to get to 10-under.
Interest is down because most of golf’s top players are taking the week off following the Open.
Howell set the record despite two bogeys in his first six holes. Starting on the back nine, he got to No. 16 before making par. On the front nine, he went birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie from Nos. 4 through 8, giving him a brief thought of going for the magical 59 with a hole-in-one from the high tee at the ninth.
“It popped into my head,” Howell said. “But then you take a look at how small that green is from the top of that hill, and that thought is fleeting.”
Instead, Howell landed 30 feet short of the pin and two-putted for par.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
