Dyson eyes PGA shock as McIlroy plots major monopoly

ISM agent Andrew Chandler – nicknamed Chubby – has enjoyed a stellar year as clients Charl Schwartzel at Augusta, Rory McIlroy at Congressional and Darren Clarke at Sandwich triumphed in the major championships.

A victory for world No 2 Lee Westwood at the Atlanta Athletic Club this week in the US PGA Championship would not only be immensely popular and long overdue but would complete the set for Chandler.

The 38-year-old from Worksop is the ideal candidate to fulfil his manager’s wish, but there are other contenders and none in better form than Yorkshire’s Simon Dyson.

Ninth at the Open, the 33-year-old lifted his fifth European Tour title a week later at the Irish Open before recovering from an opening 77 at Firestone last week to climb from joint last position into a tie for 33rd. The Malton professional is ninth on the Race to Dubai rankings and 49th in the world. He is one more good week away from finishing the year in the top 15 on the continent or top 50 in the world, either of which would get him into all the majors and the World Golf Championship events next year.

Dyson has good memories of the US PGA, having finished sixth at Southern Hills in 2007 after storming through the field with a final-round 64, and 12th at Whistling Straits last year, following a more sustained four-round challenge.

“Lee’s playing well but so am I, so why can’t it be me?” Dyson told the Yorkshire Post last night. “I go into this week knowing I’m playing well.

“The Irish Open is probably as well as I’ve ever played. I had the ball on a bit of string.

“And even in that first round at Akron I played well, I just kept going long with my approach play and it left me awkward return shots because the pins were all at the back of the green and I was jut not getting up and down.

“I didn’t play any differently the next day and shot 11 shots better. But I’m striking the ball really well.

“I found something at the Open and a few days later I went down to Spain and that was the first time that I’ve ever been on holiday and actually practiced. Once you find something you want to keep that feeling going.”

Dyson is very much a confidence player. In the past his wins have come in pairs and when on song he is getting a reputation as a ruthless finisher.

If his record of five wins may not constitute a pedigree in claiming majors, it is worth considering his fellow Pete Cowen-pupil Graeme McDowell had only five victories to his name when he won the 2010 US Open. McDowell is now one of the big names at the forefront of the European revolution.

Dyson may be one good week away from such fame and fortune. If this week is to be that breakthrough, he has to continue swinging feely and confidently on the 7,467-yard, par-70 Atlanta Athletic Club course. He has to combat the stifling heat and overcome a fatigue created by the hasty transatlantic trip to last week’s WGC event.

“I’m absolutely on my knees, shattered,” said Dyson. “I had to walk in after seven holes (Wednesday). This is not a good place to be tired, because it’s a sapping heat.

“I had the same last week at Akron after flying in from Ireland. I played a practice round with Luke Donald and only managed 15 holes. I slept for about 12 hours and that sorted me out so hopefully the same routine will work here.

“I have good memories of the US PGA. Unfortunately they were on different courses so will have no bearing here, but I’ve proven I can mix it in the big tournaments.”

With Dyson striving to join the big names in the European revolution, one man at the forefront is another who could complete the ‘Chubby Slam’.

McIlroy has already won the US Open this year, emphatically so, but has not lived up to that billing since, save for last week’s timely sixth-place at Akron.

“I’m playing very well,” the 22-year-old Northern Irishman said. “I drove the ball great last week, I’m hitting it nicely, I felt as if I got a really good practice round, got all the greens mapped out. As long as I hole a few putts, I feel as if I’m in with a good chance.”

Third on his only two previous appearances in the US PGA, he added: “I love how the PGA of America set the golf course up. It really suits my game. It puts a premium on ball-striking. I’ve always thought as if this and the Masters would probably be the two that suited me most.”

Back to the caddie, and Steve Williams’s outburst last Sunday following Adam Scott’s victory at Akron which Woods’s bagman of 12 years described as ‘the most satisfying of his career’.

Williams has since retreated from such an emotional reaction and the situation was further diffused yesterday when Woods said: “I sent Stevie a nice text, congratulating him on his win. It was good to see them play as well as they did.”