Dyson’s hat-trick

Simon Dyson joined an elite group of players this week when he won the KLM Dutch Open for the third time.

Dyson, who had previously won the event in 2006 and 2009, is the third man after Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer to achieve the feat.

On Sunday the Englishman fired a closing 66 at Hilversumsche to finish 12 under par for the week, one shot ahead of compatriot David Lynn and two ahead of US Open champion Rory McIlroy.

The victory was Dyson’s second of the season and moves him up to just outside the top 30 in the official world rankings.

The 33-year-old from York made staggered progress over his front nine and remained level par for the day standing on the 12th tee. However, Dyson took control when he played his final seven holes in four under par, including a clutch birdie at the par five 18th.
 
Overnight leader Gary Orr, who was searching for his first win in 11 years on the European Tour, covered the first nine holes of his final round in even par but was unable to make any more progress on the back nine. The Scotsman required an eagle on the last hole to force a play-off but eventually made a bogey to finish three shots adrift.
 
David Lynn continued his impressive form this season and despite a wonderful eagle at the par five 12th, finished runner-up to Dyson and agonisingly close to his second European Tour victory.

Ryder Cup duo Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher made significant moves on the final day by shooting 66, but eventually had to settle for top 10 finishes.

Next week, Westwood will spearhead a Great Britain and Ireland team, who are gunning to retain the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche in Paris.

Standing in their way will be a Continental European side, who will be determined to grab the title they failed to win two years ago.

The trophy, which was instigated by the late Ballesteros, is played in non-Ryder Cup years and has been competed for six times with GB & I winning five times.

Both of this year’s teams are made up of a combination of youth and experience. The GB & I team boast the likes of British Open champion Darren Clarke, the exuberant Ian Poulter and Welshman Jamie Donaldson. Continental Europe have called on in-form Thomas Bjorn, charismatic Ryder Cup hero Miguel Angel Jimenez and young Italian superstar MatteoManassero.

Teams:
Continental Europe: Francesco Molinari, Anders Hansen, Thomas Bjorn, Matteo Manassero, Alvaro Quiros, Alex Noren, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Pablo Larrazabal, Peter Hanson and Nicolas Colsaerts.

GB & Ireland: Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Darren Clarke, Simon Dyson, Ross Fisher, Mark Foster, Robert Rock, Jamie Donaldson, David Horsey and Scott Jamieson.