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Associated Press 17y

Howell breaks through with victory at Nissan Open

LOS ANGELES -- Charles Howell III felt his heart leap when
he realized only 3 feet of green stood between him and an
improbable playoff victory over Phil Mickelson in the Nissan Open.

That's when he said a silent prayer.

Howell had gone 4½ years and nine runner-up finishes since his
lone PGA Tour victory. At almost every turn Sunday, he was
confronted with so many of his past failures -- all the putts he
missed, the 10th hole at Riviera that denied him victory in 2003, a
chip that cost him last month in Honolulu.

He erased those memories with three clutch pars in the playoff,
the last one on a solid chip to 3 feet and a putt that felt like a
mile. Howell raised his head and closed his eyes in utter relief,
and his voice cracked as he spoke about the winning putt.

"I said, 'God, if this is the time, then let's knock this
in,"' Howell said. "And fortunately, it was."

Four shots down at the turn, Howell closed with a 6-under 65 and
scrambled in the longest playoff at Riviera in 25 years until
Mickelson blinked first, missing a 10-foot par try on the par-3
14th.

"I had every chance on the back nine to create some separation
and not give anyone a chance," said Mickelson, who twice missed
putts inside 4 feet and closed with a 68. "I felt like I had the
tournament in my grasp and let it go."

Coming off a five-shot victory at Pebble Beach where he tied a
tournament scoring record, Mickelson was poised to get in the
Riviera record books until he stumbled along the back nine. He
missed a 2-foot par putt on the 13th, then misplayed a 4-foot
birdie putt on the 16th hole to fall into a share of the lead.

Needing a par to win, he came up short on the 18th and hit a
pedestrian chip to 18 feet and took bogey.

"I had the tournament in control," Mickelson said. "It
happens. It's part of the game."

They finished at 16-under 268.

Elias Says
Phil Mickelson Mickelson

Despite Sunday's loss, Phil Mickelson's playoff winning percentage of .778 (7-for-9) still ranks third in PGA Tour history among players who have participated in at least five tie-breakers, behind Walter Hagen (6-for-6) and Tiger Woods (10-for-11, .909).

• Read more Elias Says.

Ernie Els (67), Jim Furyk (67) and Robert Allenby (68) tied for
third, three shots out of the playoff.

Els and Allenby both had chances to catch Mickelson along the
back nine of a mostly sunny afternoon, but the Big Easy was tripped
up by three bogeys, while Allenby fell back with a three-putt from
60 feet on the fringe at the 15th.

Howell earned $936,000 and is atop the PGA Tour money list for
the first time in his career.

"It's been a long time," Howell said. "I've always said
Riviera was my favorite golf course other than Augusta National."

Now he can make plans for The Masters, the major about 5 miles
down the road from where he was raised.

Howell's first goal at the start of the year was to get into the
top 50 in the world ranking by the end of March to qualify for The Masters. Having ended last year at No. 82, his victory moved him up
to No. 16, essentially securing a tee time at his favorite course.

And he got that bitter playoff loss out of his memory.

Four years ago, Howell lost a three-shot lead in the final round
at Riviera, then hit a spectacular bunker shot on the 10th only to
miss an 5-foot birdie putt and lose to Mike Weir.

He was on the ropes at No. 10 in the playoff, his ball on the
cart path some 100 feet left of the hole. His sand wedge off the
concrete clipped a tree and dropped down, and with Mickelson in the
neck of the green on the 314-yard hole, Howell looked doomed.

But he played a pitch with perfect pace to 3 feet, Mickelson
played away from the flag to 20 feet and both left with par.

Howell's putting was never better. He curled in an 8-footer for
par on the 18th in regulation that kept the heat on Mickelson, and
holed a 6-footer for par on No. 18 to extend the playoff.

Mickelson squandered a couple of huge breaks that looked like
they would carry him to victory.

His flop shot on the 10th in regulation was heading into the
back bunker when a tuft of kikuya grass, cut like a Marine's flat
top, stopped it on the very edge. Instead of scrambling for par
from a deep bunker, he used a utility club to knock in a 20-footer
for birdie and lead by two shots.

Then on the 12th, his approach bounced off Humphrey Bogart's
tree -- the sycamore left of the green where the actor used to watch
the tournament -- and caromed onto the green instead of down into a
ravine. Those breaks were wasted, however, by missing two short
putts and failing to make par on the final hole.

"I'll look back and see a lot of opportunities," Mickelson
said. "On a good note, it's better to get those out of the way
early with the upcoming majors."

Howell trailed by as many as five shots early in the final round
and was still four behind with eight holes remaining, seemingly
playing for second place. But he pecked away, and his fortunes
turned quickly when he knocked in a 30-foot birdie on the 16th,
then two-putted from the fringe for birdie on the 17th.

In the group behind, Mickelson's momentum again was slowed by a
short putt when his 2-footer went 270 degrees around the hole.

Howell kept his hopes alive by curling in his 8-foot par putt to
post at 16 under, forcing Mickelson to make par to win.

Mickelson hit 8-iron from 204 yards, trying to get the ball to
the front of the green and let it roll to the back, but it failed
to clear a mound leading to the 18th green, and his chip came out
flat to 18 feet. The putt never had a chance, sending both players
back to the 18th for a playoff that lasted three holes and produced
a huge win for Howell.

Asked which was more meaningful, the Nissan Open or '02 at
Kingsmill, the 27-year-old didn't hesitate.

"This one," he said. "Because of the five-year gap between
them. It's been a long, long time since I won a title."

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