YORK’S greens giant Simon Dyson received a specialist nod to start a two-pronged challenge to squeeze into next month’s 140th Open Championship.

Dyson yesterday posted a three-over par 74 in the French Open at Le Golf National course in Paris after a dramatic flight to the French capital, following a critical medical appointment in Birmingham.

The 33-year-old saw one of the country’s leading experts on spinal injuries in the bid to rectify the problem that forced him to miss the cut in last week’s BMW International Open in Munich.

That also ended his automatic entry to next month’s Open at Royal St George’s in Kent.

Dyson feared that he faced being instantly sidelined if the medical advice went against his continued involvement in the European Tour.

But the specialist gave him the all-clear to continue his plans to compete in France assuring the Malton & Norton Golf Club ace that there was little chance of long-term damage and that he was fit enough to resume his European Tour campaign.

It is understood that rather than being a spinal problem the injury is muscular with work now needed to strengthen the affected area.

Dyson is to return to the specialist’s clinic in the Midlands in a fortnight to have an injection to further ease the problem.

Now the world-ranked number 72 can redouble his efforts to realise the goal of competing at The Open next month.

Victory in Paris would guarantee entry to golf’s most renowned individual competition. But even if misses out in France, there will be one more chance available to qualify.

He could still make the third major of the year if he should bag a top-five position in next week’s Scottish Open at the Castle Stuart links course in Inverness – the final tournament before The Open.

Dyson was one of the later starters in Paris and got off to a flier with a birdie at his first hole after starting his round on the tenth.

But it all unravelled on the inward nine where he suffered three dropped shots in five holes to add to a bogey on the 17th and leave him nine shy of clubhouse leaders Richard Green and Graeme Storm.

Harrogate GC’s John Parry hit a two-over-par 73, a lone birdie on 17 overhauled by three bogeys on the 18th, second and eighth holes.