Dyson ready for US Open after overcoming hip injury

But after three weeks’ rest and recuperation and a tentative nine holes yesterday afternoon, the 34-year-old feels confident enough in the strength of his hip to fly out to San Francisco tomorrow to play in the US Open.

His build-up to next week’s second major of the season has hardly been ideal, but just teeing off at the Olympic Club next Thursday will be regarded as a success for the the six-time winner on the European Tour.

He first felt a problem with his hip on the Tuesday of Players Championship week at Sawgrass, five weeks ago, but having only just landed in Florida 24 hours earlier, he was determined to give it a go.

He lasted just a few holes of the first round on the Thursday before withdrawing.

Eleven days later as he stood on the 17th tee on the first practice day for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the extent of his injury became apparent.

“I was leant on my left leg and as I shifted my weight onto my right, I don’t know how I didn’t collapse,” said Dyson.

“I had to walk off the course.

“I stayed at Sawgrass because I wanted to give it a go.

“I thought it was a trapped nerve but an MRI scan after Wentworth revealed a stress fracture of the pelvis.”

The initial prognosis was that it would be six weeks before he returned, ruling Dyson out of the US Open and placing his chances of taking the field in next month’s Open in jeopardy.

But after diligently following the required treatment, he is back sooner than expected.

“The first two weeks of the recovery was just resting. I didn’t pick up a club until Wednesday and I played nine holes yesterday,” said Malton’s Dyson.

“The problem is I’ve got a weak part of my pelvis, a weak part in my back, so have been doing exercises to strengthen those. This week I’ve been to see a rehabilitation specialist. I’ve even done a lot of swimming to try and strengthen the problematic areas.

“It’s nice to wake up in the morning and know I can move it. There were days when I stepped out of bed and nearly collapsed.”

Should he make it to the first tee at the Olympic Club in five days it will be his first competitive golf for five weeks. Dyson has not completed 18 holes since the final round of the Spanish Open on May 6.

The women’s Northern Ladies Inter County Championship takes place at Ganton from Monday to Friday.

Teams representing Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire will field their top women amateur golfers. The tournament is played in a round-robin format with each of the counties playing each other during the week. Yorkshire, winners in 2010, meet Lancashire in the final match on Friday.

Yorkshire champion Ellie Robinson captains the side.