HE'S had two months off the golf course to address his fitness issues but it was the same old David Howell in his first competitive round of 2007.

The Broome Manor man - showing no signs of his recurring back injury - opened at the Dubai Desert Classic with a creditable one-under-par round of 71.

It was a typical Howell display, as he struggled off the tee - finding just five fairways at the Emirates GC.

But he rescued a tidy total thanks to his trusty short game which showed few signs of rustiness after the lay-off.

He one-putted nine times and saved par on six occasions after missing greens in regulation.

Starting at the 10th alongside Ernie Els and Ryder Cup teammate Henrik Stenson, Howell opened in magnificent style with two birdies.

But bogeys at 13 and 18 saw the 31-year-old turn at even par.

A very steady run saw Howell chalk up eight successive pars before he finished with a birdie four at the par-five ninth.

That left the Swindon Advertiser's Sports Personality of 2006 six shots off the pace set by Ross Fisher and Graeme McDowell.

Fisher used to collect Tiger Woods' golf balls from the driving range but now he holds a three shot lead over the world number one.

The 26-year-old shot eight birdies while dropping just one shot to move a stroke clear of Els, Jyoti Randhawa and Jose Manuel Lara.

Woods, meanwhile, improved on a slow start to card a four-under-par 68.