DAVID Howell teed off for his first round at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea looking to bounce back from the disappointment of missing the cut at the China Open last time out.

The Swindon player was in a good position after his first three rounds at the Binhai Lake Golf Club but slid back with a two over par final round to finish two shots away from make the cut.

The 36-year-old teed off at the Blackstone Golf Club at 4.40am this morning alongside home player Min-ky Han and Spain’s Pablo Martin, and began his round at the 10th hole.

The event has attracted an impressive field, with Darren Clarke, Ian Poulter, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Adam Scott all taking part and Clarke is looking forward to a good week.

“It is my first time here, I have not played the course before, but obviously heard a lot of good things from the tournament and about the golf course from other players,” he said.

“It’s another good field again and there are a lot of World Ranking points on offer. As a result, I’m sure it will be another great week.”

Scott enjoys playing in Asia, and is hoping for more of the same.

“It’s true that I’ve enjoyed playing in Asia over the years and I have had a certain amount of success which is great,” he said. “I’d love to add Korea to that list.”