DAVID Howell will return to action for the first time in over a month at next week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, after recovering from an injury he picked up during a short break in Dubai.

The 35-year-old was relaxing on a beach in the Emirate at the start of April just before he was due to return to England, but took a bad knock to his ankle.

Howell withdrew from the Volvo China Open and the Ballantines Championship in South Korea as a result of the injury, initially anticipating that he would need two weeks to recover.

But the injury failed to clear up as expected and he was forced to miss the next two tournaments on the European Tour calendar, the Open de Espana and the Iberdrola Open.

“I jarred my ankle on my last afternoon in Dubai and it meant I had to miss four events; two in Asia and two in Spain,” said Howell.

“It was frustrating because it was supposed to be an injury that would keep me out for two weeks but ended up being worse than I thought.

“But I am fit again now, it is not ideal to be coming back and playing at Wentworth but I am reasonably happy with where I am.”

Howell his looking to climb back up the world rankings this year and has had a couple of pleasing results so far, finishing fifth at the Qatar Masters in February and then claiming a share of 11th place at the Open de Andalucia shortly before his injury.

The Swindon golfer, though, was refusing to make any predictions regarding how he will get on at Wentworth next week.

“Golf is a weird game,” he added. “I finished 11th in Spain and then a week later missed the cut at the Trophee Hassan. That is form for you, so we shall see.”

Howell also paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros after the Spaniard sadly lost his battle with brain cancer earlier this month.

The former world number one picked Howell to be part of his Europe team at the inaugural Royal Trophy in 2006 as they beat Asia 9-7, and they two played against each other twice in the biennial Seve Trophy.

“In my 16 or so years on the European Tour, Seve was a star that was just starting to fade and it was always a treat to play with him,” said Howell.

“My most vivid memory of him was when in the Seve Trophy when myself and Lee Westwood played with him and Jose Maria Olazabal. They both played terribly but were still great.

“He was a real inspiration.”

Howell will participate in the 'Ole Seve!' pro-am at Wentworth on Monday alongside many leading names in golf, who will gather to honour the memory and celebrate the life of the late Seve Ballesteros and raise funds for his foundation.