DAVID Howell was still smiling last night despite suffering his second 18th hole play-off defeat in seven days.

The 29-year-old Swindon golfer was beaten at the first extra hole of the Nissan Irish Open by Welshman Stephen Dodd exactly a week after Denmark's Thomas Bjorn had done the same to him at the British Masters.

But unlike after his defeat at the Forest of Arden seven days earlier, Howell's spirits remained high after his defeat at Carton House in County Kildare.

Last weekend, Howell stood one ahead with one to play, bogeyed the closing par three, then did it again to lose to Thomas Bjorn at the second play-off hole.

Last night it was after 8pm that the event finished following an earlier 90-minute storm delay Howell birdied the final hole from 14 feet to match Dodd's nine-under-par total, but then pushed a three iron into rough on the same par five and lost to the Cardiff golfer's two-putt birdie.

The Broome Manor star, who has moved up to fifth in the European Tour's Order of Merit, has picked up nearly £300,000 in the last week, but still has no silverware to show for his efforts.

"Nobody has beaten me for two weeks and I have nothing to show for it,'' he said.

"Last week I was gutted, but this time I wasn't. I was really pleased with how I finished.

"I drove it terribly (hitting only four out of 14 fairways) and was laughing really. I could not do anything but keep trying and I am proud of myself."

Howell, 11th on his Masters debut in Augusta last month, will be desperate to shake off his tag as the Tour's 'nearly man' at the BMW Championship at Wentworth, starting on Thursday.

Since his victory in the 1999 Dubai Desert Classic he has now had no fewer than 35 top 10 finishes without winning again.