SAFE and sure was the drive negotiated by York-born Simon Dyson to stay well on track in the BMW PGA championship at Wentworth Golf Club.

With total prize money of more than £4 million the European Tour event is rated by many as the “fifth major” and Dyson was in consistent form to give himself a fine chance of making serious inroads in today’s second round at the Surrey-based course.

The world number 88 opened with a flurry of pars, no fewer than eight on the spin before he bagged his first birdie on the 449-yard par-fourth ninth hole.

Dropped shots on the 12th and the16th holes left the Malton & Norton GC ace in arrears for the first time, but with an iron will he responded immediately getting a shot back with a four on the par-five 17th – at 610 yards the longest hole on the course.

With a par on the last Dyson totalled a level-par 72 and a healthy first day finish of 21st place.

Dyson’s close friend, former Walker Cup team-mate and current world number two Luke Donald heads the star-studded field by two shots after firing a superb seven-under-par 64.

Donald took a giant stride towards the world number one spot, four days after he just missed out on dethroning Lee Westwood, who was struggling to respond. He was eight strokes adrift at one over.

Not that he was down near the rear of the field – Rory McIlroy was five over and Nick Dougherty, yet to make a halfway cut all year, a shocking ten over after 11 holes.

Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal was one of three players to quit during the first wing and rain-lashed opening day.

Plagued by rheumatic pains in recent years the 45-year-old withdrew with a back problem at five over par after seven holes.

England’s Paul Waring (hand) and Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen (rib) also withdrew.