Dyson undaunted - but end of dream for

injured McGowan

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
England's Richard Finch set the first-round pace in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles as the race for places in Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup Team began to unfold.
Simon Dyson - one of those in with a chance of taking an automatic spot with a win this week - refused to let two late bogeys dampen his spirit on a day that saw injury end Ross McGowan's dream and Italian Francesco Molinari clinch his debut against the United States at Celtic Manor.

Dyson continued his 11th hour charge for a first cap - to make Europe's side the 32 year old from York not only has to win the final counting event, but also Miguel Angel Jiménez has to finish outside the top nine.

After a four under par 68 - he was six under before bogeying the two of his last three holes - Dyson goes into the second round in joint seventh place two behind fellow Yorkshireman Finch, while Jiménez's 70 has him outside the top 25.

Twelfth in the US PGA Championship a fortnight ago and fifth at the Czech Open on Sunday, Dyson said: "It's amazing what your attitude can be like when you know that you have to win.

"Too often players, including myself, walk into a tournament and think 'we'll give it a go, but there's always next week.'

"This week there isn't a next week."

Captain Colin Montgomerie certainly knows what Dyson would bring to his side if he does pull it off this weekend.

"He's a passionate challenger - up for the challenge and a very bright and sparkly character," he said after his own 71, a vast improvement on 79-83 last time out at the final Major of the season.

"To have to come here and win and to start like that is a fantastic effort, so all credit to him."

Asked what it would mean to qualify, Dyson, last October's Alfred Dunhill Links champion - that also came in Scotland - replied: "I would love it. I absolutely thrive on stuff like that.

"I've played Walker Cup (with Luke Donald and Paul Casey in 1999), a couple of Seve Trophies. I've played the Royal Trophy under Monty as well.

"I wouldn't say I haven't been enjoying my golf, but not as much as I normally do. And then all of a sudden you hit a bit of form and these last few weeks it's really kicked in again.
"I'm really having a lot of fun out there and that's half the battle really.
"A shame to finish like that, but it's a good start, so long may it continue."
Three more days will do him. Even if he does win and Jiménez is in the top nine Dyson would still make it if Swede Peter Hanson, whose victory in the Czech Open on Sunday prompted the Spaniard to enter this week's event, is worse than 43rd.
Hanson, though, began with a 69, while Jiménez's compatriot Alvaro Quiros, who like Dyson needs a victory, mixed five birdies with five bogeys for a 72.
McGowan, bothered by a trapped nerve for the past month and before that by knee and wrist problems, withdrew after a 77 that saw him play through the pain barrier, even squatting down after his tee shot - to 15 feet - at the short 17th.
He had required a top two finish to have any chance and commented: "Unfortunately I won't be able to make the team now, but I've got a few years left in me, so hopefully I'll make it in a couple of years' time.
"I'm pretty gutted. I had a great opportunity to make the team after having such a good finish to last year."
McGowan won the Madrid Masters and then finished second to Lee Westwood in the Dubai World Championship.
SCOTSWATCH:  It was not a bad day for the Scots on home turf with Stephen Gallacher continuing his great season with a 67 to start the second round in joint second place. Marc Warren, a former Johnnie Walker champion, is only one behind Gallacher in joint seventh position.
Paul Lawrie made a good start with a 69 and Steven O'Hara had a 70.
Fraserburgh amateur Kris Nicol can look back on his day with some pride, having returned a one-under-par 71.
There were some not-so-happy Scots at the end of a long day, especially Sam Torrance who is bottom of the heap after an 83, and Andrew Oldcorn wasn't much better with an 80.

FIRST-ROUND SCORES
PGA Centenary Course
Par 72. Yardage 7,316
66 Richard Finch

67 Richard Bland, Gary Boyd, Robert Rock, Stephen Gallacher, David Lynn

68 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Nick Dougherty, Julien Guerrier (Fra), Simon Dyson, Gary Lockerbie, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Sam Walker, Marc Warren, Mark F Haastrup (Den), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Paul McGinley

69 Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Paul Waring, George Coetzee (S Africa), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Oliver Fisher, Peter Hanson (Swe), Paul Lawrie, Thomas Bjorn (Den), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind), Jamie Donaldson, Miles Tunnicliff

70 Andrew Butterfield, Benn Barham, Oliver Wilson, Steven O'Hara, Anthony Wall, Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Sam Little, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Stephan Gross junior (Ger), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Rick Kulacz (Aus), Andrew Marshall, David Dixon, Phillip Archer, Mark Foster, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind)

71 Anders Hansen (Den), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Kenneth Ferrie, David Orr, Graeme Storm, Stephen Dodd, Simon Thornton, Bradley Dredge, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Hennie Otto (Rsa), Colin Gillies, Peter Whiteford, Colin Montgomerie, Marcel Siem (Ger), James Morrison, Brett Rumford (Aus), Marco Ruiz (Par), Ariel Canete (Arg), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Tano Goya (Arg), Thomas Levet (Fra), Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) (amateur).

72 John Parry, Damien McGrane, Ross Fisher, Robert Dinwiddie, Sion E Bebb, Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Peter Lawrie, Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Stephen Gray, Scott Hend (Aus), Shane Lowry, Pablo Martin (Spa), Martin Wiegele (Aut), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Steve Webster, Michael Campbell (Nzl), Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Phillip Price, Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Robert Coles, Sam Hutsby, Daniel Vancsik (Arg)

73 Johan Edfors (Swe), Danny Lee (Nzl), Callum Macaulay, Tommy Fleetwood, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Benjamin Hebert (Fra), David Howell, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Andrew Coltart, Richard McEvoy, Rhys Davies, Victor Dubuisson (Fra), Paul Broadhurst, Gary Murphy, Soon-sang Hong (Kor), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Emanuele Canonica (Ita), Barry Lane

74 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), George Murray, Anton Haig (Rsa), Soren Hansen (Den), Mark Brown (Nzl), Anthony Kang (US), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Andrew McArthur, Gregory Havret (Fra)

75 Chris Gane, Richie Ramsay, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Gary Clark, Robert Karlsson (Swe), Carl Suneson (Spa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa)

76 Andrew Tampion (Aus), Tony Carolan (Aus), Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Marcus Both (Aus), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)

77 Peter Baker, Scott Drummond, Julien Quesne (Fra), Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Alastair Forsyth, Ross McGowan

78 Craig Lee, Mark Kerr, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Chris Paisley

79 James White (Lundin) (amateur), Jason McCreadie, Fraser Mann

80 Andrew Oldcorn, Carlos Rodiles (Spa)

81 Mikael Lundberg (Swe)
83  Sam Torrance

RTD: Rafa Echenique (Arg)