By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

HONOLULU -- Which player should the rest of the field fear this weekend at the Sony Open in Hawaii?

Try Charles Howell III.

Having reached the weekend in eight of his 10 starts in this event, Howell has never shot anything less than even-par 70 in his 16 third or fourth rounds. His scoring average in the final two rounds of the Sony Open is 67.4. That's why one reason why he has five top-10 finishes here.

And considering he'll enter this weekend at 6 under after back-to-back 67s, Howell seems in excellent shape to finally break through with his first win at Waialae and his first TOUR win since 2007.

Howell really has no explanation for why he's played so well at the Sony Open, especially once he makes it to Saturday.

"I wish I knew," he said. "I like the golf course. It makes you think an awful lot. Par's a good score on a lot of these holes, especially in the cross winds.

"Anymore than that, I really don't know."

Although Howell said he generally favors courses that are longer and allow him to hit "a bunch of drivers" -- he's hit just four drivers in each of the first two rounds -- he obviously knows how to manage his way around this course. On Friday, he hit just three of 14 fairways, but offset his three bogeys with four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 ninth.

"It's not the first time I've only hit three fairways around here," he said.

Howell's twin 67s leaves him in a great spot heading into Saturday. He's only been in better position here after two rounds one other time -- in 2007, when he was 8 under and eventually finished tied for second.

Two years ago, he shot 66-64 on the weekend to finish tied for fifth.

Howell can't explain his success here, but he does know one thing.

"It might be in my best interest to find out why," he said.

From a three-time major winner to a promising young rookie, there’s plenty of variety unveiled Monday on PGATOUR.COM’s Top 100 Players to Watch in 2012. Padraig Harrington owns three majors and Retief Goosen has a pair of U.S. Opens to his credit. Winners in the past year on this list also include Jonathan Byrd (Hyundai Tournament of Champions), Martin Laird (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard), Kevin Na (Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open) and Sean O’Hair (RBC Canadian Open). At the other end of the spectrum is Bud Cauley, who made a splash in a limited number of starts in 2011 but could be poised for a big rookie season. Below is a link to each of the 10 players who were revealed on Monday. PGATOUR.COM will countdown the players for the rest of December, with No. 1 unveiled on Dec. 30. Be sure to check out this year’s new addition of the Three Wise Men – Chris DiMarco, Arron Oberholser and Craig Perks, who offer their takes on each of the players on the list. Let’s us know how you think these players will perform in 2012 and whether we ranked ‘em too high, too low or just right. No. 51: Jonathan Byrd No. 52: Y.E. Yang No. 53: Padraig Harrington No. 54: Martin Laird No. 55: Retief Goosen No. 56: Charles Howell III No. 57: Stewart Cink No. 58: Bud Cauley No. 59: Kevin Na No. 60: Sean O’Hair CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARCHIVE PAGE/SCHEDULE FOR THE TOP 100 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012

By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Much like playing partner and longtime rival Jonathan Byrd, Charles Howell III felt that he’d left a lot of shots on the Seaside Course in the first two rounds of the McGladrey Classic. Howell had five bogeys in his first two rounds but had just one Saturday in a 4-under 66 that got him to 5 under for the week. The 32-year-old, making his first start since the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, has made his last 14 cuts dating back to late May. That streak spans two majors, all four events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and picked back up this week at Sea Island. “This game, it’s hard to pinpoint (what’s changed),” Howell said. “But I’ve worked steady and I’ve worked hard this year. I made a switch to a belly putter around May and it’s helped me a bit. It’s helped my consistency. It’s such a fickle game, it’s hard to pinpoint it.” During this stretch, Howell has picked up five top-10 finishes bringing his season total to seven. An eighth at Sea Island would be a new career high and Howell is hoping mother nature cooperates and helps him to be in position Sunday. “We may get a bit of wind today,” Howell said. “There are some young guys atop the leaderboard. If they go out there and play well, they’ll pull away and make it harder to catch them. But I’d like to see the wind blow a bit more this afternoon to make it interesting.”

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Every group in the afternoon wave has been on the course for at least an hour. Early indications are that there won’t be many threats to Michael Thompson’s lead at 10 under. Webb Simpson, who started closest at 7 under, gave a shot away when he missed a 4-foot par-saver on No. 4. He got back to 7 under with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 7th. Joining him at 7 under is Billy Horschel, who is 1 under through his first three holes. Richard S. Johnson just made the turn at 1 under today, 6 under for the week, and is joined there by Ben Crane, Scott McCarron and Nick O’Hern who have played six, five and five holes respectively. The biggest mover of the early afternoon is Charles Howell III. The two-time PGA TOUR winner has four birdies and a bogey on his first four holes today at Sea Island and has moved to a tie for 15th on the leaderboard at 4 under. Our Featured group is seven holes into their second round. Brandt Snedeker, on the strength of back-to-back birdies at Nos. 5 and 6 is 2 under today, 1 under for the week, and leading the trio of St. Simons Island residents. Zach Johnson and Davis Love III are both 1 over for the week. Johnson gave his shot away on No. 4 while Love, who opened with a 69 Thursday, had two bogeys to start his round.

By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Here are some odds and ends from the first day at Sea Island: NOT-SO-HAPPY RETURN: Seven of the top eight from last year’s final leaderboard are back at Sea Island for the second year of this event. Charles Howell III is the only one in red numbers at 1 under. Defending champion Heath Slocum is even, along with Robert Allenby, who tied for third last year. The one player missing from the group? Bill Haas, who is doing all right with his TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and FedExCup trophies. FEATURED GROUP UPDATE: None of the members of our Featured Group were able to take advantage of early conditions at Sea Island. The trio of St. Simons Island residents managed a combined total of even in Round 1. Heading the group with his son Dru on the bag was tournament host Davis Love III with a 1-under 69. Zach Johnson came in at 70 while Brandt Snedeker double bogeyed No. 9 for a 71. ROUGH DAY FOR RICKIE: Fresh of his first professional victory in Korea, Rickie Fowler opened play with a 3-over 73 at Sea Island. The reigning Rookie of the Year, still in search of his first TOUR victory, mustered just one birdie and hit just 11 greens in regulation. Currently tied for 117th, Fowler will need a strong second round to make it to the weekend. CLASS REUNION: Is one year too soon for a class reunion? Not if you’re the q-school class of 2010. The 29-man class has 22 players in the field this week. Half of them are ranked T26 or better with five inside the top 10. Zack Miller, who is tied for the lead at 7 under, highlights the group. But Billy Horschel (-6), Cameron Tringale (-5), Michael Thompson (-5) and Richard S. Johnson (-5) are right on his heels. If the cut were to happen today, 15 of the 2010 graduates would make it to the weekend.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ATLANTA -- That wedge he holed for his third and final birdie at No. 18 on Thursday?

"It was a good shot that got lucky," Charles Howell III acknowledged with a grin. "... I probably deserved more of a 3 than a 2 after the tee shot."

The delicate shot elicited a big roar from the crowd when it found the cup and capped a round of 67 for the native Georgian, leaving him three strokes off Keegan Bradley's lead. 

"It played about as easy as it could play, not much wind out there, a bit of humidity so the greens were holding," Howell said, adding the putting surfaces might be the best the TOUR has played all year. "I'm not sure how it'll be the rest of the week, but I thought today was definitely a good day to shoot a low number."

Howell said he spent some extra time on the range this week trying to work out some kinks in his game after he shot 3 over at Cog Hill and tied for 42nd on Sunday at the BMW Championship. Given the uncertainty in his game, Howell was particularly pleased with his solid start Thursday to "sort of calm things down a bit."

Howell, who is looking to snap a victory drought of more than four years, faces an uphill battle to win the FedExCup. He needs to win the TOUR Championship and have Webb Simpson finish 21st or worse, Dustin Johnson sixth or worse, Justin Rose and Luke Donald fourth or worse and Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker third or worse.

In short, the FedExCup stars must align. But Howell, who came into the week ranked No. 26, isn't obsessing over the numbers or anything. Not when he knows that just making the TOUR Championship has put the Augusta, Ga., native back in the field for the Masters next year.    

"That was a big goal for me this year, so this tournament is in a way just a bit of a reward," Howell said. "I don't have much of a chance to win the FedExCup, although I'd love to, but yeah, I mean, a bit less pressure in that sense. Still, though, I don't know if that makes it easier or harder."

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- His bogey-free streak on The Old White TPC ended on his 87th hole in competition.

Not to worry, though. Charles Howell III still finds himself in the hunt at The Greenbrier Classic for the second straight year.

Howell, who has made seven birdies and three bogeys this week, shot his second straight 68 on Friday to move to 4 under. He was three strokes off the lead held by Brendon de Jonge when he finished.

"The changes to course have toughened it up for sure," said Howell, who had 12 birdies and an eagle last year on the way to finishing in a tie for ninth.

"If nothing else, just the firmness in the greens has made it tougher. I don't know if you'll see a 59 this year, although it was exciting to have last year sort of a guy shoot really low. But definitely toughened it up this year."

The Old White TPC has undergone a restoration that included reseeding all 18 greens since Stuart Appleby fired a final-round 59 to win last year. Howell, who is looking to break a four-year victory drought, says the biggest adjustment is knowing when to play conservatively.

"(We) find ourselves playing away from a some of the pins; where before when it was more of a dartboard we played a bit more aggressive to 'em," Howell explained. "But the greens are so young so they're still quite firm. So there are a lot of hole locations out there that need to be getting a little bit of respect.

"The greens are rolling perfect. I don't think anybody putted on 'em for a while, so they're rolling good. You just have to be aware of the some of the corner flags and that the ball is going to bounce through the green a bit. And with the added length we're not quite hitting as many wedge into the holes as we were.  So it takes a bit more patience out there, I think."

The steady Howell must be doing something right. He hit 11 of 14 fairways for the second straight day, as well as 12 of 18 greens in regulation. His 28 putts were three less than he used in the first round.

The lanky Georgian, who ranks 24th in the FedExCup, is looking to end a four-year victory drought. Howell came to West Virginia primed, though, with three top-five finishes in his last four starts.

WHITE SUPLHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. – Seeing Charles Howell III climbing the leaderboard at The Greenbrier Classic shouldn’t be a surprise.

After all, he tied for ninth last year in the inaugural PGA TOUR event at The Old White TPC. Even more recently, Howell has finished fifth or better in three of his last four starts.

The lanky Augusta, Ga., native has quietly made his way to No. 24 in the FedExCup standings, as a result. He stands to gain a lot more if he can continue his strong play at The Greenbrier this week.

Howell started on the back nine Thursday and birdied Nos. 13 and 17 to turn in 3 under. He added two more birdies in his first five holes on the front before making his only bogey of the day at No. 6 when he found a fairway bunker.

Charles Howell III shot a final-round 64 to finish 16 under par, and he currently sits in a tie for fifth.

Howell earned a spot in the British Open last week as the highest non-qualifier at the AT&T National at Aronimink, he shot a final-round 66 to move into a tie for third behind Nick Watney and K.J. Choi, who were already qualified for the event.

"I played there at St. George's in '03, and it's an interesting golf course," Howell said. "I remember a lot of it, and it was my first Open, so it's a place that's special to me, and I'm actually quite looking forward to going back."

Howell also said he was glad he played this week, even though British Open conditions will be vastly different.

"No matter where the event is, I'd rather be playing going into one as opposed to sitting there thinking about it," Howell said.

Howell's scorecard:

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

A few weeks ago, Charles Howell III became the latest player to switch to a belly putter. The decision seems to be paying dividends.

Howell tied for third in each of his last two starts, and Thursday he opened with a 5-under 66 at TPC Deere Run that included three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 17th.

“Putting's better,” Howell said. “I guess they're not for everybody and whatnot. I never thought I'd use one, but it's helped.”

So did an early tee time in the opening round.

Perfect conditions made for good scoring for Howell and others.

“It was nice to get nine holes of perfect green, not that the greens are bad by any stretch, but no spike marks, no anything,” Howell said. “And then we didn't have very much wind till the end. This golf course does give up some birdies and low scores, but it was awful nice to be out first.”