Dyson out to shine at Doral

Englishman looking for big performance in Miami

Last updated: 11th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Dyson out to shine at Doral

Dyson: Masters debut in April

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Simon Dyson is buzzing at the prospect of making his Masters debut next month, but admits he could do with a big performance at the WGC-CA Championship to aid his preparations.

The 32-year-old secured his place at Augusta following a breakthrough 2009 campaign that saw him win in Holland and also, memorably, at St Andrews in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

That saw him break the world's top 50 for the first time to earn a maiden Masters trip and it promises to be a family affair.

"I've got 16 family and friends going and we're renting a couple of houses," explained the Englishman. "I can't wait."

However, Dyson, after a sluggish start to the season which has failed to yield better than a tie for 28th in Qatar, has slipped out of the top 50.

That included him crashing out in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship - the first World Golf Championship event of the season - and he is now looking for a strong showing in the second this week to help his build-up for Augusta.

A good result at Doral could secure him some invitations to forthcoming PGA Tour events and the chance to find his best form ahead of Augusta.

"I'm used to playing a lot and I'd like to be in all four before Augusta," he continued.

Stop-start

"I don't feel I've really had a run and got into the season yet. I had the three in a row in the Middle East, but I'm sick of the stop-start since then."

Four players in this week's 68-strong field - Danes Soren Hansen and Soren Kjeldsen, Thai Thongchai Jaidee and China's Liang Wen-chong - were in Malaysia for last week's European Tour event, but, despite winning four times in Asia, it was not a prospect Dyson contemplated: "I just thought it would be a killer trip from there to here. They must be so tired."

Although Dyson's world ranking has been slipping of late, he remains part of the recent English success story.

Paul Casey won three times early last year, Dyson triumphed in Holland and Scotland, Ross Fisher captured the Volvo World Match Play, Lee Westwood dominated the end of the European Tour season and Ian Poulter's victories in Singapore and then Tucson last month have put him in the spotlight.

Westwood, Poulter and Casey stand fourth, fifth and sixth in the world - and all will be teeing it up in Miami from Thursday with the opportunity to go higher this weekend.

Indeed, with Phil Mickelson in attendance after sitting out the WGC Match Play in Arizona, the only two high-profile absentees this week are Japan's Ryo Ishikawa - who has a high school graduation - and world number one Tiger Woods who is yet to end his self-imposed exile from the game.