Dyson cleans up as storms halt Indonesia Open

JOINT overnight leader Simon Dyson admitted the thunderstorm that halted play at the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open helped his game.

The English golfer went round the Emeralda Golf Club in four under par 68, matching Thongchai Jaidee, of Thailand, for the second successive day to lead the field by one stroke from Wales’ rejuvenated Stephen Dodd and Taiwanese Wang Ter-chang.

He is well versed in the fickleness of the weather in the Far East, having spent a hugely successful rookie year on the Asian tour in 2000.

The two hours that were lost to the weather, which caused play to be suspended for bad light without round two completed, had a positive effect on the affable 28-year-old.

He said: “I have to admit the rain break helped me. I seemed to find something. I had just pulled a couple of drives previously and then didn’t miss a fairway on the front nine.

“When I was off the course I was sat with my mates and it didn’t feel like two hours at all. That helps. If you are sat on your own it can feel like four. I hit the ball really well after that, so the break definitely helped me.”

Understandably, Dyson is happy with his game as he hunts his first European Tour title to add to the three he won on the Asian Tour as a rookie in 2000. But he stressed he has to maintain his current standard of play, as he faces a possible showdown with Jaidee over the weekend.

“I missed a few putts, but I also holed a couple I didn’t expect to,” he added. “I know I could be a couple of shots better off. The game felt better yesterday, but the putting felt better today, so it has evened itself out a bit.

“I have made one bogey in two days and that was a three-putt. Something is telling me my game is pretty good. I am just going to go into the next couple of days and continue exactly what I have been doing.

“I have played a lot of golf with Thongchai and we seem to feed off each other pretty well. Hopefully I will be paired with him the last two days in the last group as it could be a good contest.

“He has beaten me a couple of times and I have beaten him a couple of times. He’s a fantastic player, so hopefully he will inspire me and push me along as well.”

Dyson also praised Jaidee for his entertainingly unpredictable game, which was never more in evidence than on Friday.

The former Thai army paratrooper started with two birdies, followed them up with two bogeys, shot two eagles and two birdies in four holes, birdied and then double-bogeyed the eighth, the latter error ensuring he lost the outright lead of the tournament.

Jaidee was philosophical and upbeat given his position at the top of the leaderboard. “In golf you never know from one hole to the next,” he said.

“I putted well today and I’m happy because of that. Golf is not easy. Everybody is very close, there are two more rounds left and I have a good chance.”