Level playing field in Simon Dyson’s steady start in Dubai (From York Press)

Level playing field in Simon Dyson’s steady start in Dubai

11:50am Friday 10th February 2012 in Sport By Tony Kelly, Deputy sports editor

STEADY away was the start made by York-born golf star Simon Dyson in his return to the European Tour.

The world number 26 posted one of no fewer than 20 level-par rounds on the opening day of the $2.5 million Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates.

But while the 72 was the least he would have expected from the Emirates Club course, Dyson will have been frustrated to head into today’s second round way down the leaderboard, some nine shots adrift of first day leader, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

He finished two shots clear of the field after carding a stunning nine-under-par 63.

Starting out on the tenth hole alongside Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts and new South African sensation Branden Grace, Dyson was again the byword for consistency.

He shot nine successive pars.

But trouble was soon around the corner as the turn provided his first dropped shot of the day when he bogeyed the par-fourth first hole.

Dyson countered by birdying the 188-yard par-three fourth only again to be in arrears on the very next hole. But the 34-year-old restored level pegging when he bagged his second two of the day, birdying the 186-yard par-three seventh hole. That left him in 79th place.

Leader Cabrera-Bello was on for a record-breaking round after teasing out nine birdies in his first 11 holes. But the magic halted dramatically as the 27-year-old Canary Islander parred the last seven.