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84 LUMBER CLASSIC


September 17, 2006


Charles Howell III


FARMINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome the runner up of the 2006 84 Lumber Classic, Charles Howell III. Charles finished two strokes back of Ben Curtis today. Front nine looks like it was pretty close, and then Ben just kind of pulled away and didn't really give you a chance.

CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah. You know, I didn't putt good enough today. Ultimately there's always going to be times out there where you don't hit the shots that you want to hit, but at the end of the day you've got to hole some putts, even though I felt I had a great chance up to 16. I took a nice risk to go at the back flag, pulled the shot off, and then Ben is left with a difficult third there. So there's a possibility of a nice two shot swing there, and then he holes a long putt and I two putt and there you have it.

Yeah, at the end of the day I didn't putt well enough. I think we all struggled getting the ball close to the hole with the amount of mud the balls were picking up. I think that was a bit of a suspect decision to play the ball down today. The game is hard enough as it is to drive it in the fairway and not have half your ball covered in mud. I know we all hit some shots today that were bizarre, and I'm not speaking just on behalf of myself but everybody. I think that's a possible reason you didn't see as many balls today close to the hole. You look at the scoreboard today and it looks a lot different than it did the first three days. There weren't many low rounds today.

The golf course was still out there. It wasn't terribly windy and it's a shame it'll be the last round we play here.

Q. What did you have in on 16?

CHARLES HOWELL III: I had 236 to the flag, and that was a 4 iron, wind in off the left. You know, it was actually probably the best shot I hit of the week actually. It's one of those cool shots I'll remember for a long time. It's in the moment, there's absolutely no bail out on that hole one way or the other. I'm trying to make 3. Yeah, that was a fun one (smiling).

Q. You had what left?

CHARLES HOWELL III: I want to say probably 12 feet.

Q. Were you surprised not surprised, but it was good to see Ben be as consistent as he was, and he didn't waver much all day?

CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah, that's sort of his M.O., if you will. Even last night speaking on the phone with David Leadbetter, I just said Ben is going to hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. That's what he does. He's a very consistent player. I've played geez, Ben and I have played against each other since we were probably 14 I'm guessing, maybe 13, in the old America Junior events. So we've known each other forever. The success he's had has never surprised me at all. I knew he'd be a tough guy to beat because he's so consistent.

Q. Did you hear them or did he say anything at all about the "Here we go Steelers" chants he was hearing out there?

CHARLES HOWELL III: The only thing he said to me was he was a Browns fan.

Q. After nine you went ahead there by a stroke. You said you felt good up until 16, but just as you made the turn, what was your confidence level at that point?

CHARLES HOWELL III: You know, it was high. You know, I've always thought the stretch of sort of 10 through 15 on this golf course is really important, and I hit a poor tee shot on 10 and made bogey but then still gave myself chances. I had 90 yards to the hole on 11 and didn't make birdie; I had a nice shot into 12, hit a nice putt that just missed; same thing on 13.

So at the end of the day you've just got to make birdies coming in, and I didn't do that. I didn't make a birdie until 16 obviously.

Making the turn at 13 under, I thought if I got it to 15 under that it would do it. Hindsight is 20/20; we're a genius up here with the microphone. But it would have done it. Yeah, that stretch of 10 through 14 I needed to get a couple.

TODD BUDNICK: All right, thank you, Charles.

End of FastScripts.
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