Europe
Profile: David Howell
| Born | Swindon, England |
|---|---|
| age | 31 |
| height | 6ft 1in |
| Turned Pro | 1995 |
| World ranking | 13 |
| Appearances | (1) 2004 |
| Won | Lost | Halved | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singles | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Foursomes | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fourball | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Win Rate | 50% |
Dependable, reliable, unflinching, steady as a rock, all of the above that's what David Howell is. Europe's current number one has made huge strides in his profession and has now become one of the elite players on Tour.
The mannerly English gentleman made his Ryder Cup debut in 2004 and became an instant hero, when playing alongside Paul Casey in the second day fourballs they pulled-off an unlikely win against Jim Furyk and Chad Campbell. And although Furyk would gain his revenge in the singles (6&4) Howell played his part in the memorable win.
Two years on and the Swindon pro has grown in stature with his finest individual performance to date coming at the Tour's flagship event the BMW Champions at Wentworth in May when he won at a canter with five shots to spare.
At the beginning of the year he also won the HSBC Championship in Shanghai plus the BMW International Open in Germany in 2005 when he saw-off the charges of John Daly. In May that year it looked like Howell was jinxed for a period as he finished runner-up in the British Masters, the Nissan Irish Open at Carton House and then came fourth in the BMW Championship in a three week run.
However, such consistency has seen him rise to the top of the standings with earnings approaching €2million. Howell has also been heard commentating at certain events when on occasions he stepped into the BBC booths alongside Peter Alllis and Ken Brown.
Hopefully his eloquent ways and technically sound all-round game will give commentators all the right reasons to be mentioning his name at the K-Club as he is sure to feature, perhaps for all five series of matches.
- Paul Gallagher