Irish Open Winner Faces Hearing

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Simon Dyson has been summoned to appear before a European Tour disciplinary panel. The hearing has been called after the Yorkshireman was disqualified from last week's BMW Masters for signing for an incorrect score.

Dyson was in joint-second place at Lake Malaren in Shanghai when he was thrown out of the tournament after an incident during his second round which he had "no recollection of" according to officials.

The 35-year-old failed to add a two-shot penalty to his card on the eighth hole when he touched the line of his putt after marking his ball, an incident which was noticed by a television viewer.

Having reviewed the incident, European Tour officials concluded that further action was required under the Tour's code of behaviour and disciplinary procedure, which states: "3. Serious Breach. If, at the conclusion of an investigation into an alleged breach of the code by a member, it is evident that a serious breach of the code may have occurred, then a disciplinary hearing shall take place before an independent disciplinary panel."

Under European Tour regulations, the three-person panel will comprise an independent lawyer, an ex-member of the European Tour or current player on the European Senior Tour and an experienced sports administrator.

If Dyson is found guilty of a serious breach of the code, the Tour's statement added that it can impose sanctions which range from "a reprimand, a censure, a fine, a suspension of membership, a suspension from participation in one or more tournaments or for a given period, or expulsion from the European Tour, or otherwise as the panel shall determine."

Dyson insists the violation was unintentional and has welcomed the hearing.

He said: "I have been informed of the procedure being put in place by The Tour following my actions during the second round of the BMW Masters in Shanghai last week and am perfectly happy to co-operate with the investigation by the independent disciplinary panel.

"I would like to say at this stage that I have never deliberately broken the rules either on this occasion or in the past.

"It was only after I was shown the replay of my action ... that I realised what I had done and that I was in breach. I immediately accepted that I should be disqualified.

"It was simply an accidental mistake which I have no reservations in apologising for, and particularly to my fellow professionals and The Tour for any inconvenience and embarrassment unintentionally caused."

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Irish Open Winner Targets India

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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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Dyson Ready for Dunluce Defense

Simon Dyson is relishing the chance to defend his Irish Open title at Royal Portrush Golf Club. 

Dyson played “the best golf of my career” when taking the title 12 months ago at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, but the Englishman will have a very different challenge to contend with this week, when Harry Colt’s design hosts the €2million event for the first time since 1947.

The 34 year old feels very much at home on links courses, having won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the KLM Open twice at Kennemer Golf & Country Club and finished inside the top ten when Royal St George’s hosted The Open Championship last year.

Despite his dominant performance in Killarney last year, Dyson admitted to a twinge of excitement when he first discovered the 57th staging of Ireland’s National Open was moving north of the border to the Dunluce Links.

He said: “I love links golf – it just suits my eye. Killarney was a fantastic venue, and I loved playing there last year. But I’ve got to admit, there was a bit of a smile when I heard it was coming to a links course here.

“It’s what I grew up on. Playing amateur golf you play a lot of links golf, and I lived ten minutes down the road from Ganton Golf Club, one of the better links courses in Britain. So links is my favourite type of golf, by far. 

“When you stand on a tee box, you’ve got to visualise the shot. It’s not like on a 500-yard par four where you know you’ve got to hit it 320 yards off the tee – this is more about manoeuvring the ball, which is probably the best aspect of my game. 

“When I’m playing well, I can hit the high draw, the low draw, the high cut, the low cut, and I like to visualise every shot. A lot of the courses that we play now are 7,500 yards, which kind of takes that aspect out of the game. So it’s nice to get back to how golf was first played.”

Having fully recovered from a stressed pelvis which kept him on the sidelines for six weeks, Dyson is determined to get his season back on track and make a late bid for a Ryder Cup berth. 

After an encouraging performance at last week’s BMW International Open in Cologne, where he finished in a tie for 12th place, Dyson feels his form and fitness are slowly returning.

He said: “I made the cut in the US Open for the first time two weeks ago, which was pleasing. I had a decent weekend and moved up a little bit. Then I played some really good golf last week. I started to find my swing, and probably if I had been a little bit more match fit, I could have contended. But for my second week back, it was a pretty good performance, and hopefully I can build on it this week.”

Dyson will begin the defence of his crown in the company of Irish Major Champions Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell.

Dyson Defends Irish Open Title

Simon Dyson will bid to become the first player for 15 years to successfully defend the Irish Open when the €2million event takes place at Royal Portrush Golf Club from June 28-July 1.

Successive rounds of 67 over the weekend at last year’s Irish Open earned Dyson his sixth European Tour title, and the Englishman has now set his sights on following in the illustrious footsteps of Colin Montgomerie, who took the coveted title in 1996 and 1997.

Dyson dropped just three shots over the four rounds at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in a display he labelled his “best of the year”, and the 34 year old is now hopeful those cherished memories will act as the catalyst for a successful title defence when the Irish Open returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1947.

He said: “My main memories from last year were coming down the stretch on the final day, starting with my nine iron tee shot into the par three tenth. That got everything rolling really. My four iron into the 11th to 12 feet was probably one of the best shots I hit all season, and the whole back nine was probably the best golf I played all year.

“I hit lots of fairways and greens, gave myself loads of chances and never got into any real trouble. To play that well and not win the tournament would’ve been heart breaking, so the sense of relief when I got over the line was overwhelming.

“The Irish Open is a tournament you want your name associated with, so I felt very lucky to add mine to the list of former champions. The crowds were absolutely fantastic – they were five deep on both sides of the fairway coming down the last hole, which made for a very special atmosphere. I’m lucky enough to have won a few times on The European Tour, but that final round was definitely one of the highlights of my career.”

Having only played Royal Portrush during an amateur career which included a victorious appearance at the 1999 Walker Cup, Dyson’s first-hand knowledge of the stunning 6,843 yards, par 72 layout in County Antrim falls some way short of the host nation’s quartet of Major Champions, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. 

But having received glowing reports from the reigning Open Champion Clarke and the 2010 US Open Champion McDowell, Dyson is relishing the prospect of making his first professional outing at Royal Portrush, where he will attempt to join some of the game’s greats – including Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam – in the exclusive club of players who have retained the Irish Open title.

He said: “I played Portrush in the Home Internationals for England, but I can’t remember too much of the place. However I’ve been chatting with Graeme and Darren, and they both say it’s a fantastic course, so I’m really looking forward to defending my title there. I’ve never managed to defend a title before in my career, so the Irish Open wouldn’t be a bad place to start.”