DAVID Howell matched the score of the legendary Tiger Woods on the first day of the Dubai Desert Classic – but that left him wallowing near the foot of the leaderboard.

Swindon’s Howell, who won the event by four strokes back in 1999, endured an opening round to forget at the Emirates Gold Club and carded the same disappointing five-over-par 77 as 14-time major-winner Woods, who himself failed to score a birdie as he competed in the Classic for the first time in six years.

Starting on the front nine, two-time Ryder Cup-winner Howell began his round with a birdie on the par-five 10th but things soon turned sour for the 41-year-old as he dropped shots on the par-four 12th, par-five 13th and par-three 15th.

The Broome Manor pro did steady the ship by making par on his next four holes but Howell encountered further trouble as he bogeyed the par-four fifth.

There was a brief break in the clouds as Howell claimed a birdie on the par-five third but that would prove a precursor to further turbulence as the Swindon star bogeyed the par-four fifth, sixth and eighth holes to leave himself a lowly tied 122nd.

Howell, who failed to make the cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship and Qatar Masters earlier this month, tees off his second round at 3:45am UK time on Friday morning.