DAVID Howell resumes his 2019 European Tour season this morning when teeing off at the KLM Open in Amsterdam.

Swindon star Howell will begin his challenge alongside Scotland’s Marc Warren and South African Zander Lombard when the trio get under way from the first tee at 7.25am BST.

Fresh off the back of his second made cut in three appearances at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland a fortnight ago, Howell took the opportunity to enjoy a brief rest period when the Tour headed to Germany for the Porsche European Masters last week before returning to action in the Netherlands this week.

The two-time Ryder Cup winner did not enjoy his time at the same tournament a year ago, though, missing the cut thanks to a three-over par cumulative score at the halfway point.

Howell has not made the cut at this tournament in his last two appearances, although the 44-year-old did produce a sensational third round back in 2015 to help him finish 12th on the final leaderboard and leave with a cheque for a little over 27,000 Euros.

The 2019 season has been a tough one for Howell as he has only made the cut at four tournaments he has entered.

The former Broome Manor player has up to seven events left this term to try to retain his Tour card for the 2020 season.

Howell currently sits 218th in the Race to Dubai rankings, with the top 110 keeping their cards automatically.

Howell will therefore have to use the final year of his three exemption chances to be back amongst Europe’s top golfers next season.