Just a year ago Charles Howell III won the Northern Trust Open in a playoff against Phil Mickelson. It was Howell’s second victory on the PGA Tour and validated his 2002 victory at the Michelob Championship.

Early on, Howell was earmarked for greatness. He grew up in famed Augusta, Georgia, the son of a pediatric surgeon. At an early age, Howell walked parallel to Augusta National’s Amen Corner while playing Augusta Country Club. By the time Howell was 11 he had won five junior tournaments and went on to become the 1996 AJGA Player of the Year and a three time AJGA All-American. Howell attended Oklahoma State University where he was crowned the NCAA Champion in 2000 after setting the NCAA Championship record at -23. He turned pro later that year. In 2001 Howell earned Rookie of the Year honors and his PGA Tour Card.

After just 68 events on the PGA Tour, the elusive first victory came at the Michelob Championship at King’s Mill. Brandt Jobe began the final round two shots ahead, but a final round 67 gave Charles Howell his first win, two shots clear of the field. However, just as quickly as it came, Howell’s star seemed to dim just a little. While it’s difficult to label someone who has earned over 15 million dollars on the PGA Tour an underachiever, for Howell it’s frequently the first word that comes to mind.

From 2002 to 2007, Howell went without a win. Averaging five top ten finishes, he had no issues keeping his playing privileges. But he simply wasn’t living up to his own high standards. That all changed last year at Riviera. Howell managed to catch Phil Mickelson in the final round and win on the third playoff hole. The significance of the win was not lost on Howell, "It’s been a long time. Not even a game of H-O-R-S-E. I’m no good at PlayStation. I haven’t won at anything. This one is defnititely a relief."

Although he’s frequently making cuts and finishing in the money, Howell still isn’t a name you hear challenging the Sunday leaders week in and week out. Something he admittedly wants to change, "My goal for [2008] is to be much more consistent. . . You look at the Jim Furyks or Vijay Singhs of the world and their names are always there and up near the top of that leaderboard. A big part of my plan and goals in playing this year is to play a lot more consistent."

Since his debut on Tour, Callaway was Howell’s equipment sponsor. However, this past winter, Howell asked to be released from his contract to pursue sponsorship with other companies. Much to the surprise of the golfing world, Bridgestone was the company that won Howell over, and the two have been hard at work finding the perfect equipment combination for him.

Thanks to MarkHeardJr for the pictures from the Northern Trust Open

Howell quickly bagged Bridgestone’s J36 irons, opting for a combo set of J36 Cavity Back in 3-6 irons and J36 Blade in 7-PW. His irons are shafted with Dynamic Gold X-100. His strong sand wedge is a 54 degree Bridgestone West Coast Design while he relies on a Ping Tour W lob wedge at 60 degrees. Howell plays Dynamic Gold S400 in his wedges, opting for a slightly softer flex for better feel around the greens. When it comes to his woods, Howell is playing TaylorMade’s new Tour Burner with 10 degrees of loft and the Burner TP in 14.5 degrees. Howell chose the Fujikura Reax shafts in his woods, preferring the boring trajectory and spin reduction they provide. This past week at the Northern Trust Open, Howell switched putters changing from a Ping i-Series to a new Cameron.

 Thanks to MarkHeardJr for the pictures from the Northern Trust Open