Dyson moves up rankings as he joins stable-mates in States

yorkshire’s Simon Dyson is only five places off his highest-ever position in the world rankings after his Irish Open victory lifted him from 67th to 48th.

There was an even bigger move made, though, by American Scott Stallings, who is up from 224th to 119th after capturing the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia following a play-off with Bob Estes and Bill Haas.

Both Dyson and Stallings qualify for this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio through their victories. Winning in Killarney has also given 33-year-old Dyson another chance to show he can be a real force.

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Dyson captured his fifth European Tour title when he birdied two of the last three holes and then Australian Richard Green three-putted the last to lose by one.

“I’m absolutely made up,” said Malton’s Dyson. “I came in playing some very good golf, but I didn’t think it would be that good.

“I impressed myself a little bit to be honest. It’s a shame you can’t bottle how you feel sometimes.

“It’s amazing – it really is. The golf I’ve played this week is probably the best I’ve ever played.”

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Dyson’s first victory for almost two years came just a fortnight after he was England’s best player in finishing ninth at the Open, an event he was not even in until there were five withdrawals the week before.

Now he can take his game onto the world stage again, first this week at Firestone and then next week in the US PGA Championship in Atlanta, the season’s final major.

“After the Open it made me realise that I was quite a good player and I came into this with a lot of confidence,” he added.

He was only 71st out of 80 on his Akron debut a year ago and he admits: “It’s not a course that suits me but I’m very excited and it’s amazing how seeing your friends do well spurs you on.”

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Dyson is in the same management stable as Open champion Darren Clarke, US Open champion Rory McIlroy, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and last year’s Open champion Louis Oosthuizen – as well as world No 2 Lee Westwood.

“It’s been great to be part of that and watch the boys doing so well, winning majors. You see what they are getting and you want a bit of it,” he said.

Only a month ago he was suffering back trouble and fearing he might need a cortisone injection to ease the pain. “Everyone had told me it was a bad idea, so I went to see a nutritionist and she got me eating better and drinking better,” he said. “She literally said ‘if you do what I tell you to do your bad back will go away’ and, touch wood, I only felt it twice all week.

“I’ve just been a lot more careful and eating properly after I’ve trained instead of leaving it too long.”

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There will be no European Tour event in Bahrain early next year following the political unrest in the Middle East state.

The inaugural Volvo Golf Champions was staged in January but shortly afterwards there were a number of deaths as the authorities reacted to demonstrations. After waiting five months, the decision has been taken by the golf authorities not to return yet, following on from the decision to scrap this season’s Formula 1 grand prix there.

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