Every player on the PGA TOUR has a special relationship with his clubs. Some rely on simplicity and don’t adjust much, like last week’s winner Harris English. On the opposite end of the spectrum are players that just love to test and test. Charles Howell III has become the chosen son of GolfWRX.com for one simple reason, the guy loves to geek out on gear—and not just his gear. He loves all gear. There are few players on TOUR who carry the passion and curiosity for golf clubs that Charles has. Especially when it comes to the testing process, Howell has a system he has relied on for years to help him not only get dialed but to understand the nuances of his equipment. This week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Howell will try to finally break through for his first win on the islands where he has been a top-10 machine with multiple top 10s and two near misses in 2012 and 2013. For this tournament, the tinkering is minimal but significant. Howell with tee it up in Hawaii with a new shaft in play, a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X. Howell told PGATOUR.COM the Ventus fits his unique needs, “I’m kind of a strange one in that I’m looking for something that’s stable but doesn’t feel overly hard, and that shaft seems to … match that.” Regarding figuring out what goes in the bag more generally, WRX spoke with Howell III over the holiday, and this is what he had to say in regards to his process. “Obviously, playing for a living gives me the advantage of testing a ton of stuff, but it’s just as fun doing the research at home (online) and understanding what certain equipment can do and the idea behind it.” “I still rely on testing as much as I can to see what works, but it’s the pursuit of knowledge that keeps it all fresh week in and week out. Technology is so good these days, but like anything you have to ask questions, look around try some stuff and then make a decision.” Now, it must be understood that Howell III isn’t pulling clubs in and out of his bag every tournament. Being a Titleist staff member for the past few seasons, his bag stays pretty cooked with the help of Titleist Tour Rep JJ VanWezenbeeck. However, there are times when changes are needed, and CH3 isn’t afraid to jump companies to find the right fairway wood, hybrid or putter. It’s a study in a player that is constantly on the pursuit of knowledge and trying to find that one little edge week to week. Is it a healthy or effective method? Maybe. Some players can do it and some avoid it like the plague, but for Howell III, it’s one of the things in the game that keeps him engaged and excited. Nothing wrong with that. Here is what Howell has the bag this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. Driver: Titleist TSI3 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 3-wood: Ping G425 LST (14.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 8 X 7-wood: Ping G410 (20.5 degrees @20) Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 9 X Irons: Titleist T100 (4-6) 620 MB (7-9) Shafts: Project X LZ 6.5 (hard stepped) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M, 60-08M) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Why Howell III is the TOUR’s ultimate gear junkie
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Mitsubishi Electric Classic | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Stewart Cink | +450 |
Steven Alker | +500 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +1200 |
Stephen Ames | +1200 |
Alex Cejka | +1400 |
David Toms | +1400 |
Y E Yang | +1800 |
Brian Gay | +2500 |
Kevin Sutherland | +2500 |
Paul Broadhurst | +2500 |
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2nd Round 2-Balls – Merritt-Streb / Sloan-Teater | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Troy Merritt / Robert Streb | -115 |
Roger Sloan / Josh Teater | -105 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – S.H. Kim-Bae / Smalley-Schmid | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Smalley / Matti Schmid | -145 |
S.H. Kim / Sangmoon Bae | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Tarren-Skinns / Rai-Lipsky | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Rai / David Lipsky | -145 |
Callum Tarren / David Skinns | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Hall-Piercy / Hossler-Ryder | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Beau Hossler / Sam Ryder | -145 |
Harry Hall / Scott Piercy | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Pereda-Cook / Tosti-Potter | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alejandro Tosti / Ted Potter Jr | -155 |
Raul Pereda / Austin Cook | +130 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Eckroat-Gotterup / Mitchell-Dahmen | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Keith Mitchell / Joel Dahmen | -115 |
Austin Eckroat / Chris Gotterup | -105 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Molinari-Donald / Wallace-Olesen | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matt Wallace / Thorbjorn Olesen | -135 |
Francesco Molinari / Luke Donald | +115 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Morikawa-Kitayama – McIIroy-Lowry | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry | -145 |
Collin Morikawa / Kurt Kitayama | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Johnson-Palmer / Cole-Cochran | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Zach Johnson / Ryan Palmer | -230 |
Eric Cole / Russ Cochran | +190 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Horschel-Alexander / Taylor-Hadwin | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nick Taylor / Adam Hadwin | -150 |
Billy Horschel / Tyson Alexander | +125 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Malnati-Knox / Lee-M. Kim | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
K.H. Lee / Michael Kim | -130 |
Peter Malnati / Russell Knox | +110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Fitzpatrick-Fitzpatrick / Hojgaard-Hojgaard | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matt Fitzpatrick / Alex Fitzpatrick | -110 |
Nicolai Hojgaard / Rasmus Hojgaard | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Lashley-Campos / Young-Martin | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nate Lashley / Rafael Campos | -120 |
Carson Young / Ben Martin | +100 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Woodland-Hodges / Reavie-Snedeker | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Gary Woodland / Lee Hodges | -140 |
Chez Reavie / Brandt Snedeker | +115 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Gutschewski-Byrd / D. Wu-Lower | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Dylan Wu / Justin Lower | -190 |
Scott Gutschewski / Jonathan Byrd | +155 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Streelman-Laird / B. Taylor-O’Hair | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ben Taylor / Sean O’Hair | -110 |
Kevin Streelman / Martin Laird | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Shelton-Furr / Crowe-Higgs | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Robby Shelton / Wilson Furr | -110 |
Trace Crowe / Harry Higgs | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Norrman-Campillo / Sigg-Hadley | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Greyson Sigg / Chesson Hadley | -110 |
Vincent Norrman / Jorge Campillo | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Xiong-McCormick / Springer-Whitney | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Hayden Springer / Tom Whitney | -110 |
Norman Xiong / Ryan McCormick | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Pi. Coody-Pa. Coody / Silverman-Dougherty | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ben Silverman / Kevin Dougherty | -110 |
Parker Coody / Pierceson Coody | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Chappell-Dufner / Thompson-Novak | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Davis Thompson / Andrew Novak | -195 |
Kevin Chappell / Jason Dufner | +160 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Whaley-Long / Kraft-Tway | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Kelly Kraft / Kevin Tway | -110 |
Vince Whaley / Adam Long | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Higgo-Fox / Yu-Pan | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Garrick Higgo / Ryan Fox | -110 |
Kevin Yu / C.T. Pan | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Vegas-Burgoon / Stevens-Barjon | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jhonattan Vegas / Bronson Burgoon | -110 |
Sam Stevens / Paul Barjon | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Montgomery-Griffin / Detry-McIntyre | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Thomas Detry / Robert MacIntyre | -130 |
Taylor Montgomery / Ben Griffin | +110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Yuan-Dou / Ghim-C. Kim | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Doug Ghim / Chan Kim | -166 |
Carl Yuan / Zecheng Dou | +135 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Theegala-Zalatoris / Cantlay-Schauffele | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Patrick Cantlay / Xander Schauffele | -130 |
Sahith Theegala / Will Zalatoris | +110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Ramey-Trainer / Brehm-Hubbard | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chad Ramey / Martin Trainer | -110 |
Ryan Brehm / Mark Hubbard | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Hardy-Riley / Garnett-Straka | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Brice Garnett / Sepp Straka | -120 |
Nick Hardy / Davis Riley | +100 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Spaun-Buckley / T. Moore-NeSmith | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Taylor Moore / Matt NeSmith | -145 |
J.J. Spaun / Hayden Buckley | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Kisner-Brown / Hoge-McNealy | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom Hoge / Maverick McNealy | -280 |
Kevin Kisner / Scott Brown | +230 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Echavarria-Greyserman / Champ-Daffue | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Cameron Champ / MJ Daffue | -110 |
Nico Echavarria / Max Greyserman | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Kuchar-Stricker / Conners-Pendrith | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Corey Conners / Taylor Pendrith | -180 |
Matt Kuchar / Steve Stricker | +150 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – List-Norlander – Hoffman-Watney | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Luke List / Henrik Norlander | -160 |
Charley Hoffman / Nick Watney | +130 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Berger-Perez / Putnam-Highsmith | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrew Putnam / Joe Highsmith | -110 |
Daniel Berger / Victor Perez | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Kohles-Kizzire / Blair-Fishburn | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ben Kohles / Patton Kizzire | -130 |
Zac Blair / Patrick Fishburn | +110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Phillips-Bridgeman / Barnes-Endycott | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chandler Phillips / Jacob Bridgeman | -140 |
Erik Barnes / Harrison Endycott | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – B. Wu-Nicholas / Suh-Hoey | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Justin Suh / Rico Hoey | -145 |
Brandon Wu / James Nicholas | +120 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Stanger-Dumont de Chassart / Lawrence-Potgieter | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jimmy Stanger / Adrien Dumont de Chassart | -110 |
Thriston Lawrence / Aldrich Potgieter | -110 |
2nd Round 2-Balls – Meissner-Smotherman / Hale-Haley | |
Type: 2nd Round 2-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Mac Meissner / Austin Smotherman | -185 |
Blaine Hale Jr / Paul Haley II | +150 |
Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
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PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
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US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
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The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |