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The 2011 Irish Open winner, Simon Dyson, is determined to tee up in the Avantha Masters this week despite contracting a stomach virus before leaving for India.
It is five years since the Englishman, who is making his debut in this week’s €1.8million tournament, last competed in India on The European Tour, finishing in a tie for 34th at the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic at DLF G&CC – also the host venue for the Avantha Masters for the past three years.
This year, the tournament moves to the stunning Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort in Greater Noida, near New Delhi; but Dyson is unlikely to get acquainted with Greg Norman’s design before the first round on Thursday having been laid low with Norovirus, which he contracted from his wife Lyndsey and young daughter Isabella Rose.
Dyson’s breakthrough victory came on Asian soil, at the 2006 Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open, and the 35 year old is hopeful the phrase “beware the injured golfer” proves prophetic this week as he goes in search of a seventh European Tour title.
“I’ve had the virus for a few days now. My wife had it and then my little girl had it too, so I must’ve picked it up from them. I felt really bad all day Saturday then flew out here on Sunday, and I actually felt alright on the flight. But then I started feeling horrendous again yesterday, so we’re back to square one a little bit.
“I had to force myself to get out of bed this morning. I’m probably only going to do a bit of putting practice today then take all day tomorrow off, which means I’ll have to withdraw from the Pro-Am. But hopefully I will have shaken it off by the time the tournament comes round, and I’ll be okay to tee up on Thursday.”
Like his compatriot Dyson, David Howell recently travelled to Mumbai to take part in the inaugural Golf Premier League, a new concept organised by Challenge Tour champion Shiv Kapur which is based loosely on cricket’s Indian Premier League.
A shortened version of the game played partially under floodlights, the tournament pitted teams representing different regions of India against one another, with the competitors – which included Major Champions Michael Campbell, Angel Cabrera and Darren Clarke, whose team emerged victorious – all ‘bought’ at an auction.
Howell, who has played in all three previous of the Avantha Masters, saw great potential in the event, which carried a prize fund of US$400,000 and was televised live.
He said: “It was a lot of fun to do something a bit different, and hopefully the concept takes off. It was a 14-hole, day / night team event, and it’s got great potential. Team golf’s always a lot of fun, and if they can get a few sponsors on board I can really see it taking off. It can be difficult to find the right week in the schedule for those sort of events, but if they can find a suitable date in the diary, I’m sure it could work.”
Pressed on his more serious outings this year, Howell is understandably delighted with a run of form which has included top ten finishes in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship (tied sixth) and the Tshwane Open (tied tenth).
He said: “I’m in a good run of form so I come into the week in confident mood, and if not expecting to do well then at least knowing that it’s a distinct possibility.
“When you’re in a bit of a slump, you can’t really see a way out of it. But bit by bit over the past year the results have picked up, and my confidence and belief have come back. I certainly feel a lot more confident now than I was a year ago, and it’s no coincidence that my game is also a lot better now.”
In contrast, Howell’s fellow former Ryder Cup star Edoardo Molinari has struggled for form since the start of the year, missing four straight cuts this season.
But, like Howell, the Italian has also recently switched coaches, and believes it is only a matter of time before his fortunes improve.
He said: “I changed coach back in December, so it’s still a work in progress. But I’m very happy with the improvements I’ve made recently in practice. Now it’s a case of taking it out onto the course with me and putting together some good scores, hopefully starting this week.
“It’s my second time here in India – I played an Asian Tour event in Delhi in 2011, and it was great. Lots of people came along to watch, and I’m sure it’ll be the same here this week. I like coming to different parts of the world and playing new courses in different conditions. It’s a nice tournament, and hopefully it will be well supported because it’s always nice to play in front of big crowds.”
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