Posted by Jason Sobel
HONOLULU -- Paul Goydos got the fanfare. Charles Howell III got the questions.
Leading by two strokes over Luke Donald and four over Goydos at the turn on Sunday, Howell closed with a 2-over 37 on his final nine holes, falling a stroke shy of a playoff with Goydos when his 16-foot birdie putt on 18 missed the hole.
"I like the track and the path that my game is on," Howell said. "I just have to get better, is all."
Earlier this week, Howell spoke about having mixed feelings after failing to win each of the previous times he held a 54-hole lead. The first came at the 2003 Nissan Open and ended in a playoff loss to Mike Weir. The most recent came at last year's 84 Lumber Classic, while Howell was in the midst of giving his game a major overhaul.
Howell said the loss at the Nissan hurt a lot, that he had really wanted to win that one -- and thought he should. He said the 84 Lumber was a positive experience because he hadn't expected to be in that position.
So, during his post-round press conference on Sunday, I asked him what his feelings were after failing to clinch the win.
"Well, this one hurts. Yeah, this one hurts. Yeah, this one hurts," he said, pondering his emotions while trying to put words to them. He spoke about what he did right this week, what he did wrong, what he'd like to improve upon. And then, to put it into perspective, he added, "This one hurts a hell of a lot more than 84 Lumber."
Howell seems like a genuinely nice guy who desperately wants to be back on top. Here's hoping he won't feel that sting for too long.
