DAVID Howell produced another solid round at Royal Troon to secure a top 30 finish at the 145th Open Championship.

The Swindon ace, who sneaked into the weekend’s play north of the border and recorded a level par round on Saturday, enjoyed a fine opening nine holes on the final day.

The two-time Ryder Cup winner, playing alongside Justin Rose, began with consecutive pars on the first five holes.

The 41-year-old then birdied the sixth, before picking up another shot on the seventh to move to two-under-par for the day and level par overall.

Howell headed to the turn at Royal Troon with two more pars as he went out in 34.

As the Broome Manor pro headed for home, he dropped his first shot of the day on the 11th with a bogey five.

However, that turned out to be his only blot on his copybook for the day as he parred the final seven holes as he came home in 36 and finish one-under for the day and one-over for the tournament.

Howell will now take a break from action before returning to Scotland at the start of August to play in the Paul Lawrie Matchplay at the Archerfield Links Golf Club in North Berwick.