Dyson, Rose lay down Ryder Cup markers
The next Ryder Cup may be 12 months away but Simon Dyson and Justin Rose are already knocking loudly on European captain Jose Maria Olazabal's selection door.
Rose, who played in the biennial team event in 2008 but unluckily missed out last year, produced one of the best victories of his career by winning the BMW Championship in Illinois on Sunday.
At the same time on the other side of the Atlantic, fellow Englishman Dyson was making everyone sit up and take notice with a dynamic display at the Seve Trophy team event in France.
The blond Yorkshireman picked up three and a half points out of five and was one of the outstanding performers as Britain and Ireland defeated Continental Europe 15½ - 12½ at St Nom La Breteche.
Dyson has also been one of the hottest players on the European Tour in recent weeks, having won the Dutch Open earlier this month and the Irish Open at the end of July.
The 33-year-old comes from a sporting background, his dad is a bookmaker, his grandfather was a jockey and his uncle Terry featured in Tottenham Hotspur's double-winning soccer team in 1960-61.
Dyson has never played in the Ryder Cup but Olazabal is keeping a close eye on him with a view to the match against United States in Illinois in September 2012.
"I was expecting Simon to do well here," said the Spaniard at the Seve Trophy. "I have been watching the way he has been performing in tournaments for the last six weeks and he is playing very well."
It was not only the Englishman's results that caught the eye at St Nom La Breteche.
Dyson, who was on the books of lower-league soccer clubs York City and Scarborough as a teenager, seemed to get a real kick out of the matchplay environment and his fearless approach won him a host of new admirers.
LIGHT THE SPARK
"It's not just the way he plays but it's his personality as well," said Britain and Ireland captain Paul McGinley.
"Some players get a buzz out of team play and Simon is one of them. For me it was just a case of lighting the spark and letting him go."
There was more than a hint of Ian Poulter about Dyson's demeanour last week and the pair offered a possible glimpse into the Ryder Cup future by teaming up for a 3 and 1 foursomes victory over Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and Swede Alex Noren on Saturday.
"To make that Ryder Cup team is a big goal of mine," Dyson said.
Poulter, who won the 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona and this year's World Match Play title in Spain, is renowned as one of the best head-to-head golfers in the game.
He and Rose proved a formidable combination under captain Nick Faldo at the 2008 Ryder Cup in Valhalla and the new BMW champion underlined his class with a pillar-to-post victory in the FedExCup event held at the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club.
Not only did Rose's third US PGA Tour title earn him $1.4 million, it also clinched a spot in this week's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
"The manner in which I won ... it rates as high as the best tournament I've ever won, just by going wire-to-wire," said Rose.
"I think mentally this is the best I've ever been in terms of being very under control with my emotions, being very calm, being very aware of the situation and feeling comfortable with it.
"I may have had better ball-striking weeks as a whole but I think this week as a competitor and as a professional, it was probably my best ever performance," added the 31-year-old.
Rose's victory lifted him to 17th in the world rankings and helped him secure a place in this week's 30-man Tour Championship where a $10 million bonus is on offer to the FedExCup champion.