SWINDON-born golfer David Howell feels he is one successful putt away from playing a full week of golf ahead of this week’s Maybank Trophy in Kuala Lumpur.

Howell will tee off at 00:25am (UK time) tomorrow in the company of Oliver Fisher and Ashun Wu, seeking to put an end to a below-par run of form which has seen him miss out on playing all four days of a tournament by two shots or less since the turn of the year.

A second-round 69 was not enough to rescue Howell at the Saudi International last month as he agonisingly missed the cut by one.

The 43-year-old then missed a birdie-putt on his final hole at the Qatar Masters in his most recent start – a subsequent bogey costing him a pair of vital shots in the quest for the cut-line.

But the former Ryder Cup winner is far from downbeat as he attempts to make the next step in his latest comeback on a course he first encountered over 25 years ago.

Howell said: “It depends how you look at it, but I’ve missed two cuts by a shot or so – I missed a putt in Qatar to make the cut, so it’s not good enough so far. But I’m not a million miles away.

“The positive spin would be it’s been a long time since I played injury free and I’ve missed the cut on two of my three most recent starts by one or two strokes.

“It’s not terrible, but I need to start turning this around.

“Any slight improvement should see me through to the weekend.”

Howell opted to miss the Magic Kenya Open last week so he could be fresh for two upcoming events – the Maybank Championship and Hero Indian Open.

With his body in the best shape it has been this season, Howell feels everything is shaping up for him to achieve success in the Far East.

Howell said: “I feel like I had a productive week last week at home.

“I saw a couple of coaches, did a bit of work and now I’m feeling a little more assured on what I’m doing and I’m piecing things together week by week quite nicely now.

“I’m going into this week feeling good.

“The body is feeling the best it has so far this year.

“It’s very hot this week, but that aside, I’m feeling good and hopeful I can make it through to the weekend, get a result on the board and get some cash in the bank.”