Winning felt so great for Charles Howell III who achieved his first win on the LIV Tour, with an 8-under at the El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course on a bogey-free day in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. He surged to four shots over the competition, hitting seven birdies through the first 10 holes alone, with his eight birdie of the day on the 17th hole being just icing on the cake.
He hit only two bogeys the entire tournament.
Charles Howell III claims victory in Mayakoba ð#LIVGolf @crushers_gc pic.twitter.com/fKdZOBAaQl — LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 26, 2023
“I’ve played here many times, so I had an idea what to expect,” Howell said, according to the Associated Press.
“Around this place, there’s double bogeys everywhere, so you never know”. Howell played with such finesse on the final day, there was no question of the outcome, with both of Saturday’s co-leaders, fellow Oklahoma State alum Peter Uihlein and Talor Gooch buckling under pressure, with two boogies for Uihlein and a surprising seven for Gooch.
The win for the 42-year-old Charles Howell III at LIV Golf’s inaugural event for the year was an emotionally satisfying experience. Considering that his last win on the PGA Tour was almost five years ago at the 2018 RSM Classic, and his other two PGA titles were achieved the previous decade (2002 Michelob and 2007 Nissan), the switch to LIV proved the right choice for the Augusta, Georgia-born golfer.
Congratulations Charles Howell III ðð»ð @Crushers_GC #LIVGolfMayakoba pic.twitter.com/MFpLQ6y5QU — LIV Golf Latest (@LIVGolfLatest) February 26, 2023
After five starts on the LIV tour, Howell’s win comes with a $4M paycheck as well as a $1M bonus for securing the team victory for the Crushers, who won by nine shots.
“It’s great,” Howell said. “It’s a big win and we got the team win”. The Crushers achieved their first team trophy at Mayakoba, which thrilled his teammate Bryson DeChambeau, the Crushers’ captain.
“We definitely crushed the competition, that was a lot of fun,” said a gleeful DeChambeau.
Bryson is pumped for his @crushers_gc teammates ðªðªðª#LIVGolf @b_dechambeau pic.twitter.com/5JPCgOHWEB — LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 26, 2023
Next up for the LIV Tour is the Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, AZ, March 17-19.
