Golf: David Howell has given a damning assessment of his poor season -but is confident he can rediscover his form next year.

The Broome Manor golfer has had an awful 2007, finishing 142nd in the European Order of Merit after coming third in 2006, and slipping to 122nd in the world rankings.

And, as he prepares for the UBS Hong Kong Open next week, Howell has been candid about his performances.

"It has been a shocker and the worst of my career," he said.

"It is quite amazing, coming off the back of my best three years and I have definitely come down to earth with a bump.

"I know I am a good golfer, as I have proved to myself, and I know I can play at the top level.

"People find it difficult to understand how you can be in good form and then lose it. They assume it is mental, but it's not.

"It is a very, very fine line and the fact is I am not hitting a golf ball straight."

But there is a relaxed determination about the 32-year-old as he strives to get back on track.

"Golf is a 20-25 year career and I have been playing for 12 and during that time anyone is going to have peaks and troughs," he said.

"I just have to make sure the troughs are shallow.

"I was getting quite stressed about it at one point but as the malaise continued I got a little more used to not playing well."

Howell expects Hong Kong to be his last competition of the season before resuming again in January, but he will be aiming to improve his game before then.

"I've got one tournament in eight weeks, which will give me time to really concentrate on sorting my body out, which has not been good all year," he said.

"I have always tried to change my swing and technique during tournaments and this is probably the first time in my career where I have got a period of time just to concentrate on them."

Howell knows he will have to work hard, but has taken some comfort in seeing his friend Justin Rose's victory in the European Order of Merit this year.

"He was heading in the right direction for the last two or three years and he shows it doesn't happen overnight," he said.

"If you work hard and keep believing you can succeed."