NORTH Yorkshire golf ace Simon Dyson was today waiting to discover whether he will swing into the world's elite on his first visit to the United States of America.

The 23-year-old Dyson is scheduled to compete among the leading 50 golfers in the world for the multi-million dollar World Golf Championship American Express crown at the Bellerive Country Club course in St Louis, Missouri.

But the terrorist carnage that decimated the eastern seaboard of America yesterday has put the tournament in doubt.

Organisers of the event, which features the world's top 50 players plus 17 others, who have won Professional Golfers' Association tour Orders of Merit such as Dyson, have already put the start back from tomorrow to Friday when it is expected 36 holes will be played folowed by single rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

But almost a third of the field have been unable to reach St Louis for the event with 21 players caught up in the travel chaos following the terrorist attacks.

Tournament officials conceded that the event could be cancelled entirely in the aftermath of the shocking atrocities that have sent shockwaves across the world.

Tournament sponsors American Express have their head office in New York, close to the World Trade Centre, whose twin towers were totally destroyed.

Said Mike Bodney, PGA Tour senior vice president of international affairs, said: "This is obviously a huge tragedy.

"American Express obviously are in chaos and Tim Finchem (Commissioner of the PGA Tour) is going to speak to them again tomorrow after some of this settles down a little bit and they are able to get their feet back on the ground.

"This is going to be an ongoing situation. The President of the United States has a lot to say about what we are doing here as well."

Dyson's place in the event, which is topped by world number one Tiger Woods, who arrived in St Louis yesterday, was guaranteed by his conquest of the Asian PGA Tour, whose Order of Merit he won last year.

That clinched the Malton and Norton Golf Club star an automatic place in the Amex tournament, to give it its tour nickname.

The first prize up for grabs is close to a staggering $1million. Even the player who finishes last in the field will walk away with a The cash reward for even finishing last in the four-day tournament stands at a not-to-be-sneezed at £18,000.

But it's the lure of playing among the greatest modern-day players that was the major incentive for Dyson, who descfribed his scheduled involvement as 'an honour and a privilege'.

His main aim was to increase his knowledge on the learning curve of what is only his second year as a fully-fledged professional.

Another incentive for Dyson is amassing more cash to boost his current standing in the European order of merit. Currently he is in 76th spot after earning totalling more than £127,000 this season.

If can break into the top 60 then he will qualify for yet another prestigious tournament - the Volvo Masters at the Monte Castillo Golf Club in Spain's Jerez on November 8-11, this year's penultimate event on the European PGA Tour calendar.

Updated: 09:02 Wednesday, September 12, 2001