NORTH Yorkshire professional Simon Dyson has put in jeopardy his top spot on the Asian Order of Merit to give himself a shot at getting on the European Tour.

The 22-year-old rookie pro misses two of the final five tournaments on the Asian Tour in order to compete for his European card next week - but, given the form he is in, who's to say he won't achieve both goals.

Dyson flew home from India this week after claiming a second consecutive runners-up spot on the Asian Tour, results which put him top of the table in the Order of Merit with total winnings of $179,445 (£128,175).

However, in order to get a much-needed rest prior to European Tour qualification, he sat out the Star Alliance Open in Hong Kong, which started on Thursday, and he will also miss the big-money Johnnie Walker Classic in Bangkok next week.

"It's going to be harder (to win the Order of Merit) now I'm missing the two tournaments, especially the second one which is worth $1.3million (£928,571)," said Dyson.

"I'm only $9,000 ahead in the table, so if those close behind finish in the top ten in Bangkok they will leapfrog me. Without wanting to sound nasty, I've got to hope they miss the cut.

"However, I would rather miss out on these two tournaments and get my European card than the other way round. And if I take my current form into the last three tournaments, I've still got a pretty good chance of finishing top."

Of those recent results - in which he carded 15-under-par to finish second by one shot in the Thailand Lexus International and then 16-under to finish two shots back in the Indian Hero Honda Masters - he said: "You can only do so much in the last round.

"I shot three-under in the first tournament and five-under in the second, and I couldn't have done much more, so I was pleased.

"After those results I was expecting to move top of the Order of Merit, but at the beginning of the year I didn't think I'd be top. It's a big thing to be top in all of Asia - it's a big place."

After a week of resting and - weather permitting - a bit of practice, Dyson will fly to Spain in his bid to qualify for the European Tour.

That qualification comprises six rounds of strokeplay with the top 35 on the leaderboard earning their prized cards, which qualify the golfers to compete on the cash-laden Tour.

"It's the second year I've tried to get my card and it will be good to go into it on the back of my recent results," said Dyson, who turned professional last year after starring in the victorious 1999 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team.

His bid to get his Euro card last year saw him win through two qualifying rounds before failing at the last hurdle, but this time round he goes straight into the final group to compete at La Roque course.

"Having played there before, and with the experience of the Asian Tour, I feel I have gained in knowledge and I know this is the next goal I want to achieve," he said.