FIVE months in and York’s Simon Dyson plays his first tournament on home soil this year – with Europe fore-square in his sights.

The 32-year-old Dyson takes his place in a star-crammed field for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth tomorrow knowing victory would effectively seal a place in the European team for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in the autumn.

The winner picks up just over £700,000 at Wentworth and Dyson, now ranked 68th in the world list, goes into the event backed by a timely upswing of form.

Just over a fortnight ago he posted his best finish so far this season when he was joint 17th in the Italian Open.

That surge could not have come at a better time with Dyson already gearing up his game for next month’s second Major of the season, the US Open at Pebble Beach.

Presently lying eighth in the ratings for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, Dyson, who compares the calibre of the BMW PGA tournament to the Alfred Dunhill Links title he won last year to advance him into the world’s top 50 players, knows he could enhance his Ryder Cup status by victory or even a top ten finish.

He starts tomorrow’s event in the company of fellow Englishman and Ryder Cup contender Ross McGowan and Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin.

Danny Willett, the Rotherham player coached by Graham Walker at The Oaks GC, has been paired with Brett Rumford and David Horsley.

Lee Westwood, newly promoted to world number three, and who is attached to The Flaxby Country Club near Harrogate, alongside the A1, tees off with Oliver Wilson and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.