AS Tiger Woods prowled the top of the leaderboard, York-born Simon Dyson also made impressive advances in the World Golf Championships HSBC tournament in China.

After a level-par 72 on the opening day, world number 47 Dyson put together an impressive three-under-par second round 69 to move from 38th place to a nine-way tie for 23rd at the half-way stage of the $7 million tournament in Shanghai.

He is just seven shots off the lead jointly held by world number one Woods after a second successive five-under round of 67 put him ten-under alongside compatriot Nick Watney (64 70).

The 31-year-old Dyson was quickly out of the traps in the second round at the Shenshan International Club.

An opening-hole birdie was followed by birdies on the fourth and fifth holes as he set a searing pace alongside playing partners Shingo Katayama, of Japan, and America’s Jerry Kelly.

However, the Malton & Norton GC ace suffered a calamitous turn with dropped shots on the ninth, tenth and 11th holes wiping out his earlier good work.

But Dyson countered brilliantly. His dropping of only one more shot on the 15th was sandwiched by a birdie brace on 13 and 14 and another consecutive birdie double on 16 and 17 for his 69.

That recovery also ensured Dyson was the third-placed Briton in the 78-strong field.

Only countrymen Paul Casey and Ross Fisher, both on four-under, were above him on the leader-board, where seven of the first eight places were occupied by Americans.