Simon Dyson comes close to overhauling world’s top two golf aces

The 33-year-old took a superb third place in the £4½ million BMW PGA Championship – considered by many European players to be the “fifth major”.

He was squeezed out of what would have been his fifth European Tour crown – and the most lucrative – by new world number one Luke Donald, who beat Lee Westwood in a sudden-death play-off at Wentworth to leapfrog Westwood to the prime position in golf’s world rankings.

While England boast the world’s top two players, Malton & Norton Golf Club’s Dyson was never over-awed or outshone by the more illustrious pair.

Indeed he produced a storming last round of 69 that gave him the clubhouse lead with only Donald, one of his oldest friends in the game, and Westwood able to beat him.

They eventually both finished on six under par for the four challenging days at Wentworth, with Dyson just two shots back, himself two strokes clear of the rest of the star--studded field.

Dyson’s reward for his four days in which he shot rounds of 71, 68, 72 and 69 was a cheque for almost £250,000. He can also expect to surge up from his present position of 88 when the new world rankings are confirmed later today.

Said Dyson: “I looked over at the scoreboard at one point and said to my caddy, ‘we’re competing against number one and two in the world’.

“I’ve just been driving well all week and after I dropped my first shot of the last round at the 13th my response to come back with a birdie on 15 was great.”

In an almost intoxicating finish, Dyson carved out birdie chances at the last three holes but his putting magic then deserted him.

However, he declared his Wentworth experience to have been “a fantastic week”.

Reaching the summit of golf for the first time, Donald said: “Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?.

“Hopefully there will be many more of these victories, but I will savour this – it’s an amazing achievement.”

It was the first time since 1974 that the BMW Championship’s first three places had gone to Englishmen.