Open and close case of Dyson dismay (From York Press)

Simon Dyson drops shots to end second day of Spanish Open one-under

11:40am Friday 4th May 2012 in Sport By Tony Kelly , Deputy sports editor

AN askew start and finish deprived York golf ace Simon Dyson from starting today’s second round of the Spanish Open in joint third place.

Dyson, who has been plagued by tennis elbow for the past two weeks, dropped shots on both the first and last holes of his opening round on the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla course to blight an otherwise healthy resumption of his European Tour commitments.

The world number 36 instead had to be content with a one-under-par 71, though he was still just a mere four shots shy of first day outright leader, America’s Shaun Micheel.

After bogeying the par-four first, the six-time Euro Tour title winner countered with birdies on the fourth, eighth and 11th holes.

He did drop a shot on the 14th but got back to two-under with a four on the par-five 522-yard 16th.

However, then came the bogey finish on the 18th to deny the Malton & Norton Golf Club swingmaster from a top three position.

Instead he was tied with nine others on one-under on a day when sub-par scores were hard to come by in lashing rain and gusty winds.

Overnight leader Micheel, the USPGA champion of 2003, was one clear of his nearest challengers.

Without a full card on his home tour and down at 608th on the world rankings, the 43-year-old major winner fired a five-under-par 67.

Nobody broke 70 during the morning, but as conditions improved Micheel made up for three bogeys with a superb eight birdies on the Jose Maria Olazabal-designed lay-out.

The Orlando-based golfer, who earned a ten-year European Tour exemption for his shock victory at Oak Hill in 2003, was a stroke in front of English duo Robert Rock and Danny Willett – the latter coached by Graham Walker, the head pro at The Oaks GC in Aughton – and also Spaniard Jorge Campillo.

Rock, conqueror of Tiger Woods and world top three Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood in Abu Dhabi in January, eagled the 13th and 16th on his return to action after more than a month off.

That break came after his failed attempt to climb into the world’s top 50 in time for the Masters, but it is the leading 60 who qualify for next month’s US Open and he is currently 60th.