PACIFIC PALISADES -- Phil Mickelson and Charles Howell III each know the pressure of shouldering high expectations.

So when Howell earned his first PGA Tour victory in five years on Sunday, besting Mickelson in a three-hole playoff to capture the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club, it almost came off as the passing of a torch.

Mickelson has discarded the mantle of "best player without a major" by winning three major titles in the last three seasons. Howell can only hope that this victory -- after compiling eight second-place finishes since his only other tour victory, at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in 2002 -- will help him shed his reputation as a chronic underachiever.

"This game can beat you up," Howell said. "And quite frankly, there are a lot of armchair quarterbacks out there. There are a lot of people that have a lot of opinions. I just sort of had to remind myself this offseason, the only opinion that mattered was my own."

Howell, who ended the playoff with a par on the par-3, 14th hole while Mickelson was scuffling to a bogey, was asked if his experience of near-misses might provide some insight into how Mickelson might feel. This was Mickelson's tournament -- he held the lead the whole day until Howell tied him at 16-under with a birdie on the par-5, 17th hole.

"At the time, I didn't have 30 wins to fall back on," Howell said, "and had not won the week before. So for me, it was really bitter."

Mickelson, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am by five strokes last week, was trying to win back-to-back on the tour for the third year in a row.

Last year, Mickelson took the Bell South and Masters in consecutive weeks, and in 2005 he swept the FBR Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in succession.

But he was thwarted by Howell, who shot a final-round 65 for a 72-hole total of 16-under-par 268. Mickelson, who bogeyed the 18th hole to drop into the playoff, closed with a 68.

Ernie Els, Robert Allenby and Jim Furyk tied for third at 13-under 271. Sergio Garcia, playing in his first tour event of the year, was two strokes back in sixth at 273, and first-round leader Padraig Harrington was another stroke back in seventh.

Howell earned $936,000 from the $5.2 million purse, and vaulted to the top of the FedEx Cup points race. That puts him just ahead of Mickelson.

"I thought Charles played a great round of golf today," Mickelson said.

With a one-stroke lead and one hole to play, Mickelson pushed his drive into the rough and left his 8-iron into the green short and left. His chip checked up well short of the back pin position, and his 17-foot putt curled off the low side of the hole necessitating the playoff.

"It wasn't that far off line," Mickelson said of his 8-iron approach. "I tried to hit a slight draw and it stayed straight. It wasn't like I was trying to hit a cut, it just caught the edge.

"Still if I had one more club for my second (shot), it was right on the correct line. I just didn't have enough club."

After both players parred the 18th and 10th holes to start the playoff, Howell took advantage on the third playoff hole, the 14th. Mickelson's putt from just off the green took a big hop shortly after leaving the clubface, and stopped 10 feet short of the pin. Howell, who had a similar shot from about 45 feet, nestled his ball within four feet.

Mickelson missed and the tournament fell into Howell's lap.

"When he missed it, my heart jumped," Howell said, "because it was a shock that the guy had actually missed that putt."

Four years ago, Howell lost in a two-hole playoff here to Mike Weir. That memory, and his frustrating string of seconds, was effectively purged with one four-foot cleanup putt.

"I just said a prayer," Howell said. "You know, God if this is the time, then let's knock this in. And fortunately it was."

Staff writer Tom Sheridan can be reached at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2649 or tsheridan@californian.com. To comment, go to www.californian.com.