Dyson sets sights on achieving first Ryder Cup place

The 33-year-old, from Malton, a Walker Cup team-mate of Luke Donald and Paul Casey in 1999, birdied four of the last seven holes to beat compatriot David Lynn, champion himself in 2004, by one shot.

Rory McIlroy finished third, good enough to take him back to third in the world rankings, while No2 Lee Westwood’s closing 66 lifted him from 18th to fifth.

Dyson’s victory was also his second in seven weeks, coming after he secured the Irish Open at the end of July.

Also round in 66, Dyson had a nervous wait to see if his 12 under par total of 268 was good enough.

Lynn, whose triumph on the same Hilversum course seven years ago was his only one in 351 European Tour events, and Scot Gary Orr were both on the 16th two behind.

They did well to save par there, then Lynn’s 15-foot birdie attempt at the next hung on the lip.

It left both of them needing to eagle the par five last and while Orr’s chance went after he pushed his drive and had to lay up – in the end he took six to drop to fourth – Lynn had a 30-footer to force a play-off, but ran it wide.

Dyson joins a list of three-time winners of the title that includes Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer and he said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be on the same trophy as names like those two.

“It’s something special, a dream come true really.

“To win any title once is tough, but to win it three times is a fantastic feeling.

“I started a bit shakily – my timing was just a little bit off – but after my bogey on 11 I played pretty flawless golf.”

He birdied three in a row from the 12th to take over at the top and then made the task harder for those chasing him with a two-putt birdie four on the last.

Dyson wins his third Seve Trophy cap for Britain and Ireland against Continental Europe in Paris this week, but a Ryder Cup debut is the big target.

This was the second counting event in Europe for next September’s match in Chicago and he is now just behind Dane Thomas Bjorn, last week’s winner in Switzerland, at the top of the standings.

“The big turning point for me was 13,” said Dyson.

“I hit a good six iron, just pitched on the right-hand side of the green, and got a really good bounce where it just trickled down to about a foot.

“And that was a big moment, because after, that I played some lovely golf. I hit a good shot into four feet on 14. A good shot into 15, and made a good two putt on 16.

“I gave myself a chance at 17 and then hit a beautiful four iron into the last.”

McIlroy was playing with Dyson and a hat-trick of birdies from the second, even though they followed a bogey, made the US Open champion favourite to take the title.

But the 22-year-old played the next 12 in one over and two closing birdies were too little, too late to give him his first professional victory on European soil.

He was also third in the European Masters.

“It’s not been a bad two weeks.,” said McIlroy.

“To be able to give myself a chance when I didn’t have my best stuff I was quite pleased, but I should have made more of that fast start.”

n Jade Schaeffer maintained her final-round lead to win the inaugural Raiffeisenbank Prague Golf Masters by two strokes.

The 25-year-old began the day four shots clear and was never pressured as a round of 70, which saw her finish on 13-under, was enough to end her two-year wait for victory on the Ladies European Tour.

Schaeffer’s fellow Frenchwoman Julie Greciet was second on 11 under while Sweden’s Linda Wessberg was a stroke further back in third.

Schaeffer set up her success on Saturday when an eight-under-par 64 fired her to the top of the leaderboard.

She began her final round confidently with a birdie at the second and, while a bogey quicklyfollowed, she drove to within 10 feet on the fourth for an eagle two.

From there Schaeffer then only needed to avoid disaster and her only dropped shot arrived on 15 as she held her nerve to win for the first time since her success in Germany two years ago.

“I’m so happy. It’s very good because I won two years ago and I think it’s the best sensation, the win, for the golfer,” said Schaeffer. “My golf today was very good and I played so well, the same as the last day, but my putting did not rendezvous. It’s okay.”