Posted by Jason Sobel
I'll come right out and say it: Copy the entire final round of the Nissan Open, paste it into the final-round script for any major, and you've got as much drama as anything witnessed during last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Star-studded leaderboard? Check. Fortuitous up-and-downs to save pars? Check. A pair of blocked Phil Mickelson tee shots in crunch time? Check. An unassuming young player who winds up with the trophy? Check.
Perhaps it's imprudent to refer to Charles Howell III as unassuming, but at three strokes in back of leader Phil Mickelson entering Sunday -- and with elite players like Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia also hovering in contention -- you'll be forgiven for overlooking him as a threat to win before the final 18 holes. After all, this is a player who many have considered an underachiever throughout his career, with 10 runner-up finishes, but only one victory (at the now-defunct Michelob Championship back in 2002).
Instead, we were treated to the tournament of the year so far -- one which should stand among the best upon this season's conclusion, too.
Here are five more quick thoughts on the final round at Riviera:
• Having been at the Sony Open when Howell blew a commanding lead at the turn on Sunday and seeing the pain on his face when he kept repeating the words, "It hurts," when trying to describe the loss, I couldn't help but smile when he knocked in that final putt on the third extra hole to win the Nissan. This is a guy who has worked so hard on his game over the past year, a guy who's taken so much heat for his lack of victories (I'm as guilty of that as anyone), that it's nice to see him finally come through.
• Not to go overboard, but we've been searching for the next great young American golfer for a while now and perhaps he was right in front of our eyes the entire time. Howell is still four months shy of his 28th birthday, but with a win and two second-place results already this season, he already leads the FedEx Cup points list (as well as the money list, if you're still not buying into the FedEx delivery). He's also getting awfully close to becoming a lock for this year's Presidents Cup team and finally joined Ben Curtis and Jonathan Byrd as the only U.S.-born golfers younger than 30 with multiple career victories.
• It's nice to see par mean something at an event other than the U.S. Open. Howell's par on 18 in regulation was good enough to get him into the playoff when Mickelson made bogey. And in the first two playoff holes, they both made great, tricky, saving pars -- not the normal fairway-green-two-putt variety -- and it was only fitting that Howell won with a par on the third extra hole.
• The top players are starting to step up and throw their weight around. As I mentioned earlier, that final-round Nissan leaderboard was as good as anything we could expect at a major (save for Tiger Woods' absence). Always good to see the names Furyk, Els, Garcia and Harrington hanging around the lead. Who said golf isn't interesting when Tiger's not playing?
• And last but certainly not least, perhaps we jumped the gun a bit in proclaiming Mickelson's return to greatness. Those way-left tee shots on 18 in both regulation and the first extra hole looked sufficiently Winged Foot-esque. Phil has spoken about how much time he's spent working on hitting his drives straighter and was certainly happy with the results at Pebble Beach last week and through 71 holes at the Nissan, but there is no replicating how a swing will hold up under pressure in the final round of an event. Can't imagine Mickelson got a tinge of the butterflies -- after all, this is a guy who's won 30 career trophies already -- but that driver issue from last year may not be as fully rectified as we were led to believe last week.
