Charles Howell

This past season, Howell's 20th on the PGA Tour was the best of his career. That's correct, 20 years into his PGA Tour career, Howell finally cracked $3 million and on the way, picked up his first win since 2007. While the win certainly helped push Howell to new financial heights, there was plenty of good showings throughout the season. Howell did this past season, what he does every season, and that's play at a high level for long stretches throughout the season. Last year, he just happened to sprinkle in a win. As for this season, considering he went 13 seasons between wins, we can't project another win this year. Without a win, he won't be able to improve upon his numbers from last season this year.

Howell III joined the PGA Tour in 2001 and in that time, he's earned over $35 million on the course. He's really got the perfect gig. He makes millions for playing golf and he's rarely in a pressure-filled situation. He'll contend every now and then, but it's nothing to get worked-up about; Howell III has only three top-3s in the past five seasons. It's going to be strange when Howell III isn't around making cuts almost every week, but for now, there's no reason to think he's going away. There's also no reason to think anything is going to change this season. He'll once again be very productive this season, but a win is highly unlikely as is a significant improvement.

Death, taxes and Charles Howell III. Just like clockwork, Howell III made $1-3 million, yet failed to pick up a win last season. It's been the m.o. for Howell III for the past 10 years as his last win on the PGA Tour came in 2007. Howell III is never going to be a good salary cap option because his upside is limited, but in draft leagues, he's a good asset because he plays a lot and he's good for a handful of top-10s every season.

Charles Howell III is like a left-handed specialty reliever in the MLB. He's good at what he does, really good, but not good enough to be a starter. He's never going to be a superstar, but he's going to be around a long time and make a lot of money along the way. To that point, last season was Howell III's 15th consecutive season above the $1 million mark, yet he's never cracked the $3 million mark. He's lived in that $2 million space for 15 years! It goes without saying that it's highly unlikely anything changes this year, which obviously makes him a poor salary cap selection. In draft leagues he should go in the fifth or sixth round.

Amazingly, in 14 years on the PGA Tour, Howell III has never dropped below $1 million in earnings. He's about as reliable as it gets out here, but he rarely goes above and beyond expectations. You can pencil him for earnings between $1.5 million and $3 million right now, but unless he comes in at the high-end of that range, he's not going to warrant a spot on a salary cap team. In draft leagues he should go late-4th or early 5th round.

Charles Howell III is the definition of "he is what he is". Once upon a time Howell III was thought to be one of the up and comers, but he stalled out somewhere along the road to superstardom and he's never quite found his way back. Don't get me wrong, he's had a very respectable career, but at this point his upside seems to be limited. As such, he's not a good salary cap option. In draft leagues he should go in the 40-50 range.

Howell III has proven over the years that you don't need to win to make some good money on the PGA TOUR. He uses a recipe that includes a bunch of starts on the weekend, several top-25s and a handful of top-10s to earn somewhere between $1-2 million each of the last five seasons. Expect a similar recipe this season, as well. While he's capable of winning on the PGA TOUR, we haven't seen that form in quite a while, so don't expect it this season. Howell III doesn't offer much upside, but he's certainly a safe pick in salary cap formats. In draft leagues, he should go in the seventh round.

It became obvious a few years back that Charles Howell III was never going to quite live up to his lofty expectations, but to his credit, he's been plugging along for years now and put together a solid season last year. Sure, he wasn't able to find a victory, but he did finish with two Top-3s and five Top-6 finishes. One of those Top-Six finishes came in the Tour Championship. The question that we ask every year at this time, though, is whether he will improve enough this season to justify a selection? Once again, the answer is - probably not. Howell III will contend a handful of times this season, but just like in year's past, he'll come up short more often that not.

It has become apparent that Howell is never going to live up to the hype that he generated when he first turned pro about 10 years ago, but that doesn't mean he's failed on the PGA TOUR. Howell is a two-time champion and has earned nearly $20 million in the last decade. He earned close to $3 million in 2007, but that's the outlier as the seasons surrounding 2007 he fell within the $1- to $2-million range. Howell is generally a reliable player, but his ceiling seems limited. He is long off the tee, and he hits a decent share of greens, but his driving accuracy is well below the PGA TOUR average.

Although Howell III appeared destined for greatness several season ago, it's clear now that he may never be more than a slightly above-average player on the PGA Tour. Players have turned their career around later in life than Howell III, but he's been on tour for a few years and still has yet to find much success. Outside of a great run early in the 2007 season, Howell has not played well enough over the last couple years to show that he will take his game to the next level in 2010.

Howell III has been all over the place. He's been the next big thing, he's been the next big flop, he's been the comeback story of the year, and he's been the biggest disappointment of the year. It's anyone's guess for 2009, but keep your expectations in check.

Charles Howell III continues to be a mystery to those that follow this game. Early in the 2007 it looked like he was finally tapping into all that potential. In fact it looked like he might be playing better than anyone thought, but in typical Howell III fashion, his play soon became inconsistent, and by the end of the year, you had no idea what he was going to do from week to week. When taking a closer look at his 2007 season you'll find that he only played well for the first two months. Factoring in his inconsistent past, I am left with the notion that he is simply a good player who got hot for a couple months. If that is the case then his production should drop unless he finds a long hot streak again, which is unlikely.

Last season was the year many had finally thrown in the towel with Howell III. Other than two events, Howell did nothing to prove those people wrong. The $1.5 million he earned in 2006 came mostly from two runner-up finishes, one in the fall. That's not a good sign. Last year it was difficult to give up on Howell as he came back to play very well late in the year. This year it will not be as hard.

The ultimate wild-card. I have been touting Howell for the last three years and every year he lets me down. I was ready to give up on him, but it seems as though he may have figured something out at the end of the season last year. Howell got off to a good start last year and everyone was sure this was the year, and then ... he disappeared, again. He resurfaced at the International in August and followed that up with solid play at the PGA Championship. He carried that momentum though the rest of the year where he carded two more top-5s. We are basically back at square one with Howell. He's shown enough that you can't discount him, yet he hasn't shown that he can play well consistently. OK, give him one more shot. One more shot, this is it.