Howell and Bland lead the way in Malaga

Former Ryder Cup star David Howell, down from ninth in the world four years ago to his current 408th, gave flashes of his old brilliance when the European Tour finally hit European soil today.

Howell birdied three of his first four holes at the Andalucian Open in Malaga and shared top spot with fellow Englishman Richard Bland.

Conqueror of Tiger Woods at the 2005 HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, the 34-year-old from Swindon was part of the winning Ryder Cup teams at Oakland Hills and The K Club.

But his career has nosedived since he suffered a series of injuries and he ended last season commentating on the game rather than playing it.

Howell had his first top-20 finish of the season in Morocco on Sunday, however, and was back on a leaderboard at long last this morning.

South African Louis Oosthuizen, runner-up to Welshman Rhys Davies at the weekend and trying for a win that could earn him a place in The Masters at Augusta in two weeks, had two birdies in the first three, but in between missed the short 11th and bogeyed.

That left him one under and part of a group which also included Howell’s ex-cup team-mate Darren Clarke.

Clarke’s playing partner Nick Dougherty, on the other hand, hooked his opening drive into a bush, ran up a bogey five and then dropped another shot at the next.