Charles Howell has been using the same golf coach since he was a kid, back when he was little more than a pair of oversized eyeglasses, ears and an Adam’s apple sticking out from underneath a big golf cap.
You’ve doubtlessly heard of the swing guru. There’s a Florida golf school named after the coach called the Leadbetter Academy.
Two weeks ago at the Funai Classic at Disney, Howell received a key putting tip that helped quickly turn his game around, passed along from the lips of Leadbetter herself.
That would be Kelly Leadbetter, former LPGA Tour regular and wife of renowned swing coach David, who relayed the helpful hint.
“Is she on the payroll?” Howell cracked. “She is indirectly on the payroll, just like with any married couple.”
The putting tip and Howell’s game have been a marriage made in heaven at Champions Golf Club. The 24-year-old shot his second consecutive 4-under-par 67 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead over veteran Fred Funk at the season-ending Tour Championship.
Howell, who finished second at this event last year, is the youngest player in the field and seems set to abscond with the prize while folks are fixated on player-of-the-year contenders Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Mike Weir and Davis Love III. None of the aforementioned four are closer than six shots.
“Maybe there’s a nothing-to-lose mentality a little bit,” Howell said.
He has played that way on the back nine, where he has shot 31 and 32 over the first two days. In the midst of an eight-way tie for first at the turn Friday, Howell eagled the par-5 13th hole and added birdies at Nos. 14 and 16 to take the lead.
The race for the biggest green, the money title, continued to lose momentum as Woods and Singh failed to make much headway.
Singh followed his first-round 73 with a 68 and is seven shots behind Howell. Woods shot his second underwhelming 70 in a row and is part of a four-way tie for 12th, a cluster that includes Love, six shots back.
At least this 70 was more enjoyable. After playing alongside the frowning Fijian in the first round, Woods played with Ernie Els on Friday. By the time they walked off the first tee, they had quadrupled the entirety of the words spoken a day earlier.
“It’s always nice playing with a friend,” said Woods, who has used 63 putts over two days, which ties for 21st in the 31-man field. “Ernie’s been a great friend to me over the years.”
Funk, alone in second place, is stirring up trouble, too, relative to the pre-tournament storyline with regard to favorites like Woods and Singh. On Friday’s telecast, which listed which players were contenders or pretenders, he was summarily placed in the latter category.
“I would love to be the spoiler,” Funk said.
“I don’t want to give it to them. They’ve won enough money already.”
