WHEN Malton and Norton ace Simon Dyson tees off in the Hong Kong Open today in defence of his title, he can reflect on what has been a good year as a 'rookie' on the European Tour.

The win last year landed Dyson the Asian PGA Order of Merit crown and earned him £56,000. And in his first year on the European circuit, Dyson has achieved his number one objective - to keep his tour card - with something to spare.

He has comfortably finished in the top 115 money earners, his 87th postion earning him in the region of £150,000. His father John admits it could have been more. He said: "He got into some good postions but had one bad round and dropped back. But it's all about learning."

Of his return to the scene of his triumph, John said: "He's been really looking forward to it. The tournament brings back some good memories."

Dyson was in good form as he warmed up for the tournament with a 64 in the pro-am yesterday. His partners for the first round will be Simon Yates and Lucas Parsons.

Having finished well down the field on 11 over par in the BMW Asian Open in Taiwan on Sunday, Dyson admitted that jet lag had badly affected him. His father John said: "He had felt terrible from waking up at one o'clock in the morning. This is the first time it has affected him but he's feeling a lot better now."

Updated: 12:14 Thursday, November 29, 2001