DAVID Howell remains unlikely to make the cut at the KLM Open in the Netherlands despite recording an under-par second round today.

The damage was done for the Swindon star in Thursday’s opening round as a four-over 75 left him well off the pace in Spijk and needing a strong response to qualify for the weekend’s action.

Although Friday’s one-under round of 70 was a step in the right direction and moved him back to three-over overall, Howell was still four shots below the projected cutline at one-under as the second round came to a close last night and well down the leaderboard, looking on course to finish outside the top 100.

Teeing off at the 10th hole yesterday, Howell got off to a solid start with a run of four pars to begin his round before the Broome Manor man was able to post his first birdie of the day at the par-three 14th – his fifth hole.

Three more pars followed but the 41-year-old was unable to go out in under-par as he surrendered a shot with a bogey six at the long final hole before the turn.

It did not take Howell long to reclaim that stroke as he pulled a shot back at the third hole – his 12th – but the birdie blitz he needed over the closing holes in order to make the weekend did not materialise as he finished with six straight pars for a one-under round.

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger looked on course to be the overnight leader in the clubhouse after back-to-back five-under rounds of 66, although a handful of players remained out on the course late into Friday afternoon, still to complete their rounds.

Howell faces a swift return to action on the European Tour as he has an entry for next week’s Italian Open at Golf Club Milano, which gets under way on Thursday morning.