A SCAN on David Howell’s left foot has proved inconclusive and his footwear could be the sole root of his problems as he targets a return at the True Thailand Classic in two weeks’ time.

The 40-year old was forced to pull out of the Maybank Championship in Malaysia after an opening round of 73 last Thursday.

The Broome Manor pro returned to his home in Dubai to undergo a scan on Monday but results could not determine the root of the problem.

Now Howell will look into changing the inner soles of the footwear he wears when playing golf, having endured a long-running problem with his left foot.

“It was very hard to get diagnosed and basically, nobody could find anything wrong, other than the fact it really hurts,” he told the Adver.

“So it is good and bad news. The only thing we could come up with is that it is bio-mechanical and I have just made a change to my inner soles.

“I have always worn these orthotic inner soles and it looks like that has flared up.

“That is what I have got to change and hopefully the new inner soles will relieve the stress on that particular part of my foot.

“That process is under way and if we have got it right first time out, then I am already wearing them and hopefully my foot will improve as the days go by.

“In which case, I will still be playing Thailand and India. That is the plan anyway.”

Howell will be walking with the new inner soles this week and is planning to get back hitting balls next week, should the problem be remedied.

However, he could spend a longer period than he hoped on the sidelines if he doesn’t find a solution to add to what has already been a frustrating start to the year, having only claimed one top-20 finish in his opening six tournaments and fallen back outside the top 100.

“It has not been a glorious start to the year and not what I was after,” he added.

“It was promising the second week, finishing 13th, and then Abu Dhabi promised a lot and I fell away and it has been a disappointment since then.

“It has not been all bad. Four out of the five cuts I have made, but no really good results.

“If I was to have a bunch of time off now, it would be frustrating but we’re still early in the year and it is not like I am playing terribly.

“If I can sort the foot out, then who knows - the next good result might be right around the corner.”