Prior to winning at Riviera last year, Howell's only other PGA win was the Michelob Championship in 2002'the final year of that tournament'so this is the first time in his pro career he'll have a chance to repeat. However, it won't be easy. The 68th edition of the tour's Los Angeles stop is bound to be one of the most difficult in recent memory because the greens will be hard and fast and the famed kikuyu rough could be as high as three inches at some locations on the course.
Play officially begins at 7 o' clock this morning and the total purse is $6.2 million--$1 million more than last year'with the champion banking a $1,116,000 check. Northern Trust, one of the nation's largest personal trust companies, replaces Nissan as the tournament's title sponsor.
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