Dyson seeks another team triumph

The last time Yorkshire golfer Simon Dyson was selected for a team, he went out and won a tournament a few days later.

The British Masters starting at The Belfry today might be a step up from the 1999 Finnish amateur title, but the 29-year-old hopes history repeats itself.

“I had just been picked for the Walker Cup and obviously I was buzzing,” recalls Dyson, who on Tuesday was named by Nick Faldo as one of his two wild cards for Britain and Ireland’s defence of the Seve Trophy against Continental Europe in Ireland next week.

“I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t been called. Obviously it’s a bonus and it’s nice to know that someone like Nick Faldo thinks you’re good enough.

“It’s the first time I’ve properly spoken to him and I’ve never really met him. But obviously I’ll get a chance next week.

“He said ’I’d love to have you on my team’ and I said I was delighted to accept his invitation. That was it – I hung up on him.”

Faldo is, of course, also Europe’s Ryder Cup captain next year and the aim for the former Walker Cup team-mate of Luke Donald and Paul Casey is to be on the plane to Kentucky – almost certainly with them – in 12 months’ time.

While they found it easy to switch to the pro ranks, Dyson paid three trips to the European Tour qualifying school and it was in Asia that he found success.

He became their Rookie of the Year and Order of Merit winner and his first European Tour victory was last year’s co-sanctioned Indonesian Open.

Dyson then beat Australian Richard Green in a play-off for the KLM Open in Holland and while he has not managed another title yet this season he made a name for himself with a closing 64 at last month’s US PGA Championship.

It brought him up to sixth place and Faldo was duly impressed.

“He said it was so hot for a foreigner, especially a Brit, to go over there and play and that it was a great achievement. He was commentating on it and I heard he had some nice things to say.”

In his younger days Dyson admits he overdid the partying a bit.

“I just used to have a bit too much of a jolly. I used to enjoy it a bit too much and wasn’t doing the right things in the evenings.

“I’ve grown up a bit I think and do things a lot better and correctly. The drinking certainly has calmed down a helluva lot.

“I’ve let my fitness slip a little bit because I’ve been playing so much – I was in the gym five or six times a week – but I’ve got a good four months now to get myself really fit, get my game in good stead and hopefully get off to a flyer next year.”