Familiar Dutch terrain means Dyson can start with confidence

The record of the 34-year-old from Malton at an event that is either played at this year’s venue at Hilversumsche, or the Kennemar Golf Club where he was victorious last year, is second to none.

Dyson’s victory in 2011 was his third win at the tournament in six years. He has also had two other top-15 finishes at the Dutch national championship, and has missed the cut only once.

“Whenever you have played well somewhere, you always get a good vibe when you go back, and that is certainly the case with Holland for me,” he said.

“Those last six holes at Hilversumsche really suit my eye, so hopefully I can have another strong finish this year.”

His victory last year came at the end of a marvellous run of form that began with a top-10 placing at the Open and also included a victory at the Irish Open.

Reflecting on last year’s Dutch Open, Dyson feels it was the positive momentum he had created in the preceding weeks, rather than his ball-striking and putting, that helped him over the finishing line.

“Last year, funnily enough, I didn’t feel like I played that well all week, whereas with my previous wins I felt like I played really well all week,” he said.

“I just couldn’t believe it afterwards.

“I fancied my chances of getting myself into a play-off or at least finishing second, but when David Lynn missed his eagle putt on the last, the trophy was being put in my hands. It was all a bit surreal.”

Dyson – who is 43rd on the Race to Dubai rankings – is joined in Holland by Hull’s Richard Finch, Leeds’s Danny Denison and Sheffield’s Danny Willett, whose second-place finish in Switzerland last week saw him climb to 111th in the world.

Sheffield have retained their Yorkshire Inter-District Union league title, and in the process maintained their two-year unbeaten record. They defeated Halifax-Huddersfield in what amounted to a title shootout.

Wins by Daniel Wasteney (Bondhay GC) and Jonny McAllister (Tankersley Park GC) by 4&2, Dominic Moon (Rotherham GC) and Lewis Hollingworth (Tankersley Park GC) by 5&3, Richard Hodgkinson (Lindrick GC) and Gary Fullwood (Wath GC) by 5&3 and finally Neil Stones (Bawtry GC) and Nathan Rogers (Wortley GC) by 4&3 established a great platform going into the afternoon singles. Sheffield won seven of the matches through Wasteney, McAllister, Hollingworth, Rogers, Fullwood, Stones and Richard Oades (Abbeydale GC). Jamie Harrison contributed a valuable half as they ran out 23-13 winners.