DAVID Howell admits he will need to keep on the straight and narrow this week as he prepares to tackle one of his most interesting European Tour challenges to date.

The Swindon ace is in Delhi for the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters, where a little bit of history will be created when the first tee shot is struck tomorrow morning.

The tree-lined championship course at Delhi Golf Club will play host to the first European Tour event to be staged on Indian soil, and Howell knows he will have to be on top of his game.

After a practice round on Tuesday morning, the 32-year-old Broome Manor star gave the following assessment of the 7014-yard, par 71 course.

Howell said: "It certainly is an interesting challenge.

"The fairways are very narrow and there are lots of trees so hitting straight off the tee is going to be the key.

"The course is not overly long so I won't be using the driver much. Maybe that's a good thing the way I have been hitting it.

"It will be a tough test, but one that I'm really looking forward to."

Built on the site of tombs left over from the Lodhi Dynasty of the 17th century, the Delhi course is sure to be a new experience for most of the international players in the field.

South African Ernie Els is the star attraction, but a strong Indian presence, including Volvo China Open winner Jeev Milkha Singh, is sure to excite the home crowd.

After finishing a disappointing tied 44th at the Dubai Desert Classic last week, Howell is hoping to see his name at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.

He said: "After such a good opening day in Dubai I felt I let it slip away slightly over the next three rounds.

"But I made the cut for the second tournament running, and as long as I'm in the field for the weekend then I always feel I have a chance.

"There will be weeks when I don't feature too much but I'd like to think I can also challenge for one or two events.

"I just need to be patient and keep believing in myself."

Howell gets his challenge underway on Thursday at 12.35pm (local time) alongside Simon Dyson and Richard Finch.

The trio are scheduled to start round two from the 10th hole at 8.20am (local time) on Friday morning.