Charles Howell wins for the first time since 2007 at RSM Classic
Monday 19 November 2018 15:31, UK
Charles Howell III birdied the second extra hole against Patrick Rodgers to snatch his first PGA Tour victory for almost 12 years at the RSM Classic in Georgia.
Both men finished tied at the top on 19 under after Rodgers closed with a superb eight-birdie 62 to claim the clubhouse lead, and overnight-leader Howell recovered from a horrendous start to his final round to force a play-off with three straight birdies.
The pair returned to the 18th tee and traded pars first time around, but Howell then holed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the second extra hole to clinch his third PGA Tour title, and his first since winning the Nissan Open in Los Angeles in February, 2007 - when Rodgers was a 14-year-old schoolboy!
Howell led by one shot overnight, but his prospects of ending his long winless run looked bleak when he scrapped his way down the first and bogeyed before blocking his drive at the second into the water on the right.
The 39-year-old compounded the error when he three-putted from 15 feet to run up a double-bogey six, but he began to claw the shots back when he converted a 10-foot birdie chance at the fifth and then holed from twice that range on the next green.
Another lengthy birdie putt from 25 feet at the 10th got him back to level par for the day, but he still trailed by two shots with four holes remaining after Rodgers followed an outward 32 with four birdies in five holes from the 11th.
But Howell responded with birdies at 15, 16 and 17, although he was just shy of matching Rodgers' birdie at the 72nd before finally taking his chance on the same 18th green two holes later.
Ryder Cup star Webb Simpson missed out on the play-off after his 10-foot birdie putt at the last slid wide of the cup, the former US Open champion settling for a 65 and outright third place ahead of Ryan Blaum (66) and Luke List (65).
It was also an encouraging week for another former US Open winning in Graeme McDowell, who enjoyed his best finish on the PGA Tour in over a year as a closing 66 lifted him into a tie for 11th place on 14-under par.
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