SPANISH gold is the treasure fore-square in the sights of North Yorkshire golf talent Simon Dyson.

The 25-year-old has to hoist himself almost 20 places up the Volvo Order of Merit so as not to have to enter the cut-throat arena of qualifying for his European Tour card for next season.

Currently lying in 134th place with 2003 earnings of just over £101,000, Dyson needs to make the top 115 in the Volvo rankings to ensure he hangs on to his place on the lucrative, but highly-competitive European Tour for 2004.

There are just two ranking events left - and both are in Spain, so it will be 'Viva Espana' for Dyson if he can reach his target.

Dyson told the Evening Press: "It won't be the end of the world if I don't make the top 115, but I'm sure going to try to make it.

"Having to go through the qualifying school you sometimes have to rely on a lot of luck. It's in my hands to make sure I don't have to go through that."

The penultimate tournament starts tomorrow in the Turespana Mallorca Classic to be held at the Pula Golf Club. It will be unknown territory for the Malton and Norton GC star, who revealed that he had never before played in Majorca.

But it's the final event of the tour, the Madrid Open at the Club de Campo complex in the Spanish capital starting a week tomorrow, that represents his best chance of a major leap up the rankings.

"I would love to get two top ten finishes, but I'm looking for a top five place in the Madrid Open because that's the one that carries a lot more prize money."

Dyson, who admitted to having his confidence boosted by several sessions with a sports psychologist this autumn after a mid-season lull in form, will go into both events encouraged by a recent upswing in fortunes.

He posted a fine joint 13th position in the Dutch Open, where he shot four sub-par rounds for a seven-under-par total that earned a healthy £30,000.

"The course (Hilversumche GC) wasn't that easy, especially the greens which were not in the best of condition," he said.

"But I've been playing really well. My attitude to everything on the golf course has got better and that's given me a great chance to get the finish to the season that I'm after."

Updated: 08:42 Wednesday, October 15, 2003