Dyson has Georgia on his mind as Mickelson gets the vote for Masters

The place, the beauty, the majesty of it will be in the thoughts of Simon Dyson this week, despite him being thousands of miles and a multitude of time zones away in Dubai.

“I’ll be something like 10 hours in front, so it might be a case of getting out of bed at 6am on Sunday to watch the back nine,” said the 33-year-old from Malton, who is in the Gulf State for some warm weather practice before heading to Malaysia for the next stop on his grind to get back to Augusta.

“I’d love to get back there next year, just a win or two this summer would be enough for me.”

Dyson is 86th in the world, a ranking by no means poor, but for a non-exempt player to get in the elite Masters field it is top 50 or bust.

Two wins at the end of 2009 got him into that exclusive band for his Augusta debut last year, and although it was stopped short after two rounds, it still proved a memorable week for the former English Amateur finalist and White Rose county player, who was followed to Georgia by a dozen of his closest family and friends.

Notorious for being a difficult course to tame as a rookie, Dyson began his Masters bow with a five-over par 77, before finally getting to grips with the undulations, the marble top greens and the treacherous Amen Corner by the mid-point of his second round.

He was tripped up, though, by a rules infringement that derailed his attempt to make the cut. But even that does not detract from his memory of the week.

“It rankled a little bit but it’s one of those things,” said Dyson.

“Someone came up to me at the 13th and said I’d just grounded my club in the hazard.

“I’d just birdied to get back to one under and was playing nicely, I was finally getting to grips with the course.

“It just stopped me in my tracks. I went bogey, bogey, bogey after that. I’d been playing really well.

“When I think back on Augusta, though, that’s not what I think of.

“It’s how amazing the place is, the beauty of the course and how much I enjoyed the experience.

“It makes you hungry for more.”

So continues the journey for Dyson and the rest of Yorkshire’s golfing stars – Richard Finch, Danny Willett and John Parry – to reach the sport’s Mecca.

For as Dyson discovered last year, Augusta is not just a test of golfing ability, but an examination of temperament, willpower, determination and golf course management.

It is why few rookies ever prosper. In the modern era only Fuzzy Zoeller has bucked the trend by winning on debut in 1979 a tournament that so often is captured by a true master of the famous course.

Even Tiger Woods had experienced Augusta as an amateur before blowing away the field in 1997.

“It’s so hard to play well if you’re a rookie,” continued Dyson.

“There are guys who are playing it for the 10th time, 15th even, who are still struggling. It’s just such a tough course.

“That 12th hole for instance is 150 yards but I will never have a go at somebody again for missing that green.

“I’ve never seen so many shots finish in difficult places. You could hit the exact same three shots and one will be too long, one too short, and one just perfect. The wind is swirling so much.

“Thirteen as well is an unbelievable hole. From watching it on telly you know it’s a dog leg, but once you get up there you wouldn’t believe how much it comes back on itself.

“That whole Amen Corner experience is tough; 10 followed by 11 are two of the toughest par fours you’ll play.”

If and when he gets back there, Dyson will be better prepared; he has to be otherwise it will be another early finish.

Jack Nicklaus was famously diligent on his note-taking and won the tournament a record six times.

Ian Poulter has enough notes on the course to make the most diligent caddy blush.

The Yorkshireman, however, is not as meticulous.

“I’m more of a feel player, I trust my instincts,” said Dyson, who after competing in all four majors last year will have to go through qualifying to get back to the US Open and Open Championships this summer. His 12th-placed finish at last year’s PGA Championship and his current standing inside the world’s top 100 should be enough to seal a place in the year’s final major.

“I didn’t make notes as such around Augusta, but, hopefully, I’ll always remember the places not to put it.

“I know when I’m on my game and know how it feels.”

So without having a say on who gets to don the green jacket in the Butler Cabin on Sunday evening, who does the last player from the Broad Acres to contest the year’s first major think will prove the last man standing after 72 holes this weekend.

“I think Phil Mickelson will be the man to beat again,” said Dyson.

“He knows the course better than anyone and is a great front-runner, as he showed in winning in Houston at the weekend.

“And from a European perspective, Martin Kaymer has good control of the ball and you definitely need that around Augusta.

“He’s playing fantastically well and is so full of confidence.”

Confidence, controlled ball flight, temperament, knowledge and will power – just some of the attributes required of a Masters winner.

Last year, Dyson competed at the Masters but this weekend he returns to the ranks of the fan and, like the rest of the worldwide audience, cannot wait for the drama to unfold.

Worksop’s Lee Westwood, runner-up in two of the three majors he played last year, could regain top spot in the world with a top-four finish on Sunday.

But it is a first major he craves and he tees off boosted by the knowledge that his 13-under-par score last year, although it left him three behind the inspired Phil Mickelson, would have made him Masters champion in all but nine of the 74 tournaments so far.

“I certainly didn’t do too much wrong – Phil just did a lot of things right,” said the 37-year-old.

“Even if I had shot 69 and become the first player to have four rounds in the 60s that still wouldn’t have won. I played well the last day under pressure.

“The confidence in my game has moved on – I have moved everything up a little bit and hopefully if I play the same it will be good enough.”

Westwood tees off alongside world No 1 Martin Kaymer and much-fancied Matt Kuchar today having failed to register a top-10 finish in seven starts this year.

His putting has been highlighted as his biggest area of concern, prompting the seeking of advice from a familiar source.

“I spent an hour-and-a-half on the putting green with my dad and sorted quite a few things out,” he said.

“I’ve been struggling with my alignment a little bit, so we worked on that and getting a bit closer with my eyes over the ball a little bit more.

“He’s watched me the most over the years and the path the putter is now making is better. It’s on line a little bit longer.”