Charles Howell III Notches 600th PGA Tour Start at the WM Phoenix Open
Charles Howell III can admit now that he didn’t know what he didn’t know.
Yes, he was an excellent golfer, one who seemed destined for stardom as a professional. He played at a high level of amateur and college golf, winning an NCAA individual title at Oklahoma State in 2000.
His then swing instructor, David Leadbetter, suggested the time was perfect to turn pro and skip his senior year of college.
As a result, Howell is celebrating his 600th start in a PGA Tour event. He was honored for the milestone on Wednesday at the WM Phoenix Open. His first event was as a 17-year-old amateur at the Buick Challenge in Georgia.
Howell, 42, actually earned his Tour status as a temporary member in just six events in 2000, never having to go through the PGA Tour Qualifying School. He was the Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2001.
His 600 starts ranks in the top 70 on the PGA Tour. The record is held by Mark Brooks, who made 803 starts, followed by Jay Haas with 798.
“I’m very glad I turned pro at age 20 without a college degree,’’ Howell said at TPC Scottsdale. “I left Oklahoma State early. I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll play my way on, seven events will be fine.’ I’ll make enough money to play my way on the Tour. The fact that I was 20 and pretty naïve to this… I’m very glad for.’’
Howell never had the overall success that was envisioned for him at the time. He’s won just three times on the PGA Tour, his first coming in 2002 and his last in 2018.
Along the way, he’s been amazingly consistent. Until this past season, he had never finished outside the top 125 in money earnings (the standard used until 2007) or FedEx Cup points. Last year was the first time he failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Despite his few victories, Howell has been productive. He’s lost four times in playoffs, has made the cut in 76 percent of the Tour events he has played, has 16 runner-up finishes and 97 top-10s. It adds up to $41,252,833, which ranks 22nd on the Tour’s all-time career money list.
“The way the Tour has changed… I came out with Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, David Gossett, Bryce Molder, Luke Donald," he said. “We had this mentality it’s going to take some time to win. I played practice rounds with Corey Pavin. I played practice rounds with Jeff Sluman. I picked their brain a lot. ‘Hey, how do you do this? What do you do here?’
“Jesper Parnevik was another player I spent a whole lot of time with. He influenced my fashion sad for a couple of years, but we all make mistakes. These guys I really relied on and it was going to take some time to win and whatnot.
“These young players, now they come straight out and win. Viktor Hovland, he feels like a little brother to me. He played at Oklahoma State, as well. We may have a degree between both of us. But I have just watched him come out and win right way and go to (No.) 3 in the world.
“The new generation… I think part of it has to do with the PGA Tour, there are so many platforms now, there is so much access to golf. They have done a great job of growing the media side of it where players kind of know what they are getting into before they get here.
“When I turned pro, there were a lot of unknowns. A bit like going into the Chocolate Factory. We didn’t really know what it’s like out there. What is it? Now there are so many platforms for exposure. So, they know how it is.’’