Time for a break (From Swindon Advertiser)

Time for a break

6:00am Monday 16th July 2012 in Golf By Andy Warren

DAVID Howell is looking forward to a well earned break following an up and down week at the Scottish Open.

The Swindon golfer played well in the opening two rounds in Aberdeen to make the cut on seven under, but was five over for his third round before pulling one shot back on his final round to finish outside the top 50.

The Broome Manor professional has played every week for the last two months and has seen his form pick up dramatically, but is set to swap his golf clubs for a commentator’s microphone for The Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes which starts on Thursday, having missed out on qualification for the prestigious tournament.

Howell is undecided whether or not to play in the Austrian Golf Open which starts on July 25, but if he doesn’t, his next tournament on the European Tour will be the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles starting on August 23.

During his break from action he will play in the Thailand Open in early August, but the Broome Manor professional is looking forward to some time away from the course.

“Obviously I would love to be playing at The Open because it is a very special event, but commentating for the BBC is a real honour and I am looking forward to it.

“The Open wasn’t something which was on my schedule at the start of the year, and it was only pencilled in with a question mark, so I think I am going to be glad of the rest.

“I think eight weeks of back-to-back golf is beginning to take its toll on me, and I picked up a bit of a bug during the last event which didn’t help me.

“I am 50/50 for Austria I think, and I have the small tournament in Asia to play, but other than that I will be recharging my batteries.

“I am going on holiday to Portugal, and I may even find a week to be at home with my family in there somewhere too which is long overdue.”

Howell believes he could have performed better in Scotland if it wasn’t for his disastrous third round, but was still able to take some positives from his round.

“The course was playing quite easy, and I certainly didn’t expect to be shooting a 77 that is for sure,” he said.

“I played well on Thursday and especially on Friday, and I don’t think I did anything majorly wrong on Saturday.

“I think I was playing level par golf tee to green, but I managed to three putt a few times from not much distance at all and that really cost me.”