Howell's there on Merit

Injury-prone David Howell has admitted only the prospect of winning the Order of Merit had persuaded him to play this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Howell is suffering from the recurrence of a shoulder injury which last flared up in the final round of the USPGA championship at Medinah. The 31-year-old trails Ryder Cup team-mate Paul Casey by £80,000 in the money list, but with a first prize of £427,000 up for grabs this week and a similar cheque on offer at the season-ending Volvo Masters, the race is still wide open.

However Howell, who missed 10 weeks of last season with a torn stomach muscle and had a month off this year with back trouble, explained: "I certainly feel for a few weeks now I've been trying to play when possibly I shouldn't have been to win the Order of Merit. My body has let me down in the last couple of months. Some guys can't putt, I have a body that breaks down."