Profile / Editor / 26 February 2007 / Leave a Comment

After making a slow start to life on the European Tour, Simon Dyson leapt to the front of the people's attention with an outstanding 2006 season and is well-fancied to continue his smooth progress this year.

Having turned professional in 1999, Dyson didn't have long to wait for his first win at the 2000 Macao Open on the Asian tour and claimed three victories in total to win the Asian Order of Merit title.

Great things were expected of the 29-year-old but the likeable Yorkshireman had to wait nearly six years for his next title, which finally arrived at the 2006 Indonesia Open.

It was his first victory on the European Tour and, after a series of top-ten finishes, Dyson didn't have long to wait for his second - which came at the KLM Open last August courtesy of a play-off win over Australian Richard Green.

Dyson finished 2006 in a career-best 21st place in the Order of Merit to join the group of young English players who have stamped their mark on the game in recent years.

While he has failed to hit the heights he reached last season so far in 2007, the signs are that the Asian specialist's best form is not too far away.

He is back in his favourite continent this week in a high-class Johnnie Walker Classic field in Thailand, and can be backed at 17.5 in the early market to win in Phuket.

A talented all-round sportsman, who was on York City and Scarborough Football Club's books as a schoolboy, Dyson's success last year was built on an outstanding short game and the ability to scramble a par when his approach play let him down.

Dyson finished second only to Sergio Garcia in scrambling on the tour while he tied for eighth in the putting statistics, averaging 28.5 putts per round.

It is his putting that has let him down so far this year, with the Englishman averaging 1.5 more putts a round in 2007, and when he gets this right it seems likely he will return to challenging for tournaments again.

As well as his two victories in 2006, Dyson managed six other top-ten placings but it is in Asia that he excels and produces his best golf.

Before defending his Indonesia Open title at the start of this month, he said that he feels he is the man to beat every time an event takes place in the continent, and it is this self-belief that is likely to help him enjoy further success in future years.

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