Yorkshire golfing trio flying the flag in Dubai

Ryder Cup winners in four of the last five matches, producers of three of the year's major winners, and home to six of the world's top 10.

Heady days indeed for a European Tour that shot to prominence on the back of Ballesteros and Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer in the Eighties.

The top 60 players from the current crop tee off in the Middle East this morning, as the European Tour flexes its muscles with the lucrative season-ending Dubai World Championship.

Among them are three Yorkshiremen proving that while European golf has something to shout about right now, Yorkshire golf also has something to be proud of.

For chasing the 770,445 first prize alongside PGA champion Martin Kaymer and US Open winner Graeme McDowell is Simon Dyson, Danny Willett and John Parry.

"It's fantastic to have three of us here," said Parry, the most inexperienced of the trio, but the only Yorkshireman to have won on tour this year.

"European golf is on the up, and so is Yorkshire golf."

Harrogate's Parry, 23, has reached Dubai in his first season and is the lowest ranked of the four Challenge Tour graduates from 2009 to reach the season-ending bonanza.

In qualifying for Dubai he follows Sheffield's Willett, who returns this year to prove his achievement in making the grade last year was no fluke.

Willett, 23, is still to taste victory despite challenging at two of the most prestigious events of the year – the Alfred Dunhill Links and the PGA Championship at Wentworth – but has risen from 58th place in his debut year to 23rd this year, as well as into the world's top 100.

He comes into Dubai having played only once in the last six weeks due to a rib injury.

Heading the White Rose trio is Malton's Dyson, 32, who comes into the tournament in sparkling form after pushing Ian Poulter all the way in Hong Kong last week.

Although he has not won this year, he can still better the career-high eighth position he had in 2009 with a strong final week.

And if we want to push the boundaries a little, the world's

No 1 golfer Lee Westwood is from just across the Broad Acres border in Worksop.

"I'd have to say that right now this is the strongest tour, and it's great to be a part of it," said Parry, who not so many years ago was playing county amateur golf for Yorkshire, who for the record, won the Northern Counties League this season.

"As long as we can keep our strongest players on this tour then it will only go from strength to strength because on the PGA Tour the likes of Phil Mickelson are over 40, and a lot of their big guys are old now.

"It's also great to be part of the up-and-coming group of young golfers. A lot of us have come through the ranks together, and we're all pushing each other on."

Parry and Willett played Walker Cup golf alongside each other in 2007 and are among a new generation of players all capable of maintaining what Westwood, Padraig Harrington, McDowell, Poulter, Rry McIlroy and Open champion Louis Oosthuizen have started.

Willett was in the running to be named the Tour's Order of Merit rookie of the year in 2009, an accolade Parry is chasing this year thanks to his breakthrough win at the Vivendi Cup in Paris.

"That win has given me a lot of confidence, made me feel that I belong out here," he said. "People know my name now.

"It's great to be in Dubai. It was one of my goals at the start of the year, along with winning.

"If I can do well here, even win it, then that would be a great end to the season.

"It's always better to finish a season well than starting well and finishing badly.

"The rookie of the year title is something I'd like.

"The task for me next year is to push on. If I can get a couple of wins that would be great, challenge in the big events and hopefully get into a major. There's also the top 50 in the world, who knows?

"The aim this week is to try and win the event, short of that, I'll be happy with a top 10 in such a big event."

Victory for any of the Yorkshire trio this week will elevate them into the top 15, an elite band that split a further 7.5m bonus as well as securing passage into three of next year's four majors.

How they rated during 2010

Danny Willett

Tournaments 24; Won 0; Top 10s 7; Earnings 883,414; Race to Dubai 23rd; World Ranking 71st

Simon Dyson

Tournaments 27; Won 0; Top 10s 5; Earnings 702,619; Euro Ranking 32nd; World Ranking 63rd

John Parry

Tournaments 34; Won 1; Top 10s 4; Earnings 580,106; Race to Dubai 50th; World Ranking 129th.