Howell's African hope

After failing to make the cut at both the Abu Dhabi Championships and the Qatar Masters, Howell carded a top 30 finish in the Dubai Desert Classic, but struggled for consistency in Kuala Lumpur as he missed the cut again in Malaysia.

The Broome Manor pro has taken two weeks off to prepare for the Johannesburg Open and is hoping that the rest will help him climb the leaderboard.

“I am playing three weeks in a row in South Africa,” said Howell, who takes on the African Open the following week before tackling the Tshwane Open.

“I had a bit of a tough first month to the season, it didn’t quite go according to plan but I have put a few different things in place since then and had some nice rest and some decent practice and I am looking forward to kick-starting the season down in South Africa.

“Top 25 in the Dubai Desert Classics shows that I am not far away, but then I backed that up with a disappointing week in Malaysia.

“I wasn’t quite with it that week and I felt like I needed a rest and a re-charge and hit it strong again in South Africa.

“I am looking forward to hopefully putting some good mid-60 scores on the board and getting in the mix.”

There is more at stake for Howell as well then just the prize money when he tees off today, with a place at the The Open up for grabs.

With the tournament being held at the home of golf, St Andrews, the 39-year-old is desperate to take the opportunity.

“There is a lot to play for because there is an Open qualifying spot for the top three players who are already exempt,” he added.

“So if you finish in the top five or 10 you have got a shot at qualifying for the Open Championship, which is at St Andrews this year.

“It is a big goal of mine, I would love to play an Open at St Andrews and I only have a couple of chances left.

“That is one of the reasons I am heading down to the first of these three and looking forward to giving myself a shot to get into the Open and that is an exciting challenge.”