“It could be the shortest defence in Tour history,” said David Howell who is struggling with a neck injury heading into his defence of this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Howell is fighting a race against time to be fit to take him alongside movie star heart throb Hugh Grant in teeing off tomorrow at Carnoustie and one of three courses again playing host to the $5m event.

“I undertook commentary last week, didn’t hit a ball for eight days and came into this week feeling dreadful, back loosened up quite nicely when I played Monday, but woke up this morning and my neck is in pieces so I wouldn’t be teeing off if it was today,” said the Englishman.

David Howell ends seven-year winless drought with 2013 Alfred Dunhill Links victory and now he’s first out in this year’s Open Championship. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

“So fingers crossed feeling better tomorrow but feeling a bit cheesed off to say the least.

“I’ve had treatment.  I’ll go for treatment again and I’ve got a nice stash of drugs, as well, so we’re trying everything to feel all right in the morning.  Body is a strange thing, sometimes it goes into spasm and then eases off overnight and this came on overnight.  It doesn’t bode overly well.

“So I will just have to wait and see.”

And while Howell looked very uneasy in the few minutes he was in the Media Center there was some comfort for the five-time Tour winner in looking back on his memorable victory last year, a victory that ended a seven-year winless drought for the now 39-year old father of three.

“Yeah, tremendous after seven years, no finer place to win as a professional golfer, so that was a dream come true,” he said.

“But, you know, the most fitting place I could think to end a seven‑year drought.

“Obviously the photos and the trophy at home.  I was really looking forward to coming back.  I’ve been in better form the last few months.  The whole year, things didn’t probably carry on as I thought they might; such is the way with golf but second half of the year has been much much better, culminating with the second place in Italy.

“I was really looking forward to getting back to links golf, all the good feelings that I had last year, try and tap into those and of course, still hoping that’s going to be the case.

“So it’s going to be one step at a time this week, no doubt about that, try to nudge our way through tomorrow if possible and see how things go.”