Howell hopes to get back on track

Current European number one David Howell is keen to stress that technical glitches in his swing and stance have been to blame for his off-colour start to 2006, rather than a big head.

A seminal defeat of world number one Tiger Woods in a head-to-head at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai last November boosted his ranking, his profile but not, according to the softly-spoken Swindon man, his ego.