DAVID Howell is hoping that he can improve his driving and putting for the remainder of the DP World Tour Championships in Dubai.

The Swindon star shot a 71 one-under-par at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, but he felt there was plenty of room for improvement.

The Broome Manor pro got off to a perfect start with a birdie on the opening hole which was then followed by another on five, however, a bogey on eight meant that Howell had to settle for a one-under first round.

“I played well, but from the seventh onwards I struggled off the tee,” the 39-year-old said. “The greens were also a lot quicker than expected and I struggled there too.

“It was a frustrating day, but one where there are lots of positives to take out of it.”

Howell, who spends his winter months in the Emirate, went into the final European Tour tournament of the season looking for a top three finish to end the campaign inside the top 30 rankings to automatically qualify for the Open next year.

And while his opening round will do little to achieve that goal, Howell is hopeful that the remaining three days will help see get better scores.

“I went out on to the driving range after my round to sort a few things out and hopefully that will stay with me for the rest of the week,” he said.

“I think that a lot of people will struggle with the greens because of the pace of them.”