DAVID Howell discovered exactly why the camera never lies after scrutinising his new-look golf swing at the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters yesterday.

The Swindon ace admits he has "slipped back into some bad habits" after limping to a two-over-par 74 in an eventful opening round in Delhi.

Afterwards, Howell watched video footage of his swing and identified key areas for improvement if he is to survive today's halfway cut.

He explained: "Using the camera is not something new. I always record my swing and then watch it back.

"It doesn't matter if the coach isn't with me because I know what I'm looking for, so I can tell where it's gone wrong.

"I'm getting it wrong from the word go with my downswing. I've got to get back to focussing on what I was doing two or three weeks ago.

"I need to get to the point where it becomes ingrained in my mind. Once that happens I think it is going to be very effective."

Making changes must have been the furthest thing from Howell's mind when he opened with an eagle three at the first hole yesterday.

But the cracks soon began to appear as the 32-year-old dropped three shots in the next six holes.

A birdie at the par five eighth saw Howell reach the turn in level par though, just four strokes behind the early leaders.

But Howell's back nine resembled a patchwork quilt, as he signed for two birdies and two sixes to trail home favourite Jyoti Randhawa by nine shots.

Despite hitting just eight of the 14 tree-lined fairways, Howell insists he enjoyed the challenge of the "unique" championship course at Delhi Golf Club.

He said: "It's a fantastic course to be honest. Jyoti has won here two or three times before and he has got to be the favourite after his opening 65.

"My expectations are quite a bit lower than that at this stage. For me it's just a case of trying to put three decent rounds together now to finish as high as I can.

"I will need to hit the ball a lot better than I did today, and if I do that hopefully I can start working my way up the leaderboard."

Howell will take a three-week break from competition after this event, leaving him plenty of time to iron out the creases in his swing.

"It's very difficult to make changes and play in tournament golf at the same time," he said.

"But I've got a little break coming up after this event so hopefully I can make a few changes ."