DAVID Howell exited Mauritius Open at Heritage Golf Club prematurely on Friday morning, despite carding a round of one-under on day two of the competition.

Howell, 44, had hoped to make his first cut of the 2020 European Tour season in favourable conditions that suited most players.

And after ending day one level par, the two-times Ryder Cup appeared to have laid a fair enough foundation to merit playing on days three and four.

But those around him excelled on day two, and Howell’s one-under effort saw him fall two shots short of the cut.

Howell’s round started promisingly with four successive pars before a birdie on the par four fifth placed him one under – which his record remained as until the end of the front nine.

Four pars on the first four holes of the back nine earned Howell an outside chance of making the cut, and a birdie on the par five 14th further boosted his claims.

A disastrous bogey on the 18th ultimately ended his hopes of progression, though.

Other Wiltshire hope Steve Surry was also in action in Mauritius.

Surry experienced a turbulent two days of play, though, which saw him card successive rounds of two over par as he also failed to make the cut.