YORK golfer Simon Dyson was among the early starters in the penultimate tournament ahead of the European Tour season-ending World Championship next month.

Dyson was alongside South African Branden Grace and rookie Chinese professional Mu Hu in the first round of the BMW Masters event at the Lake Malaren course in the Chinese port of Shanghai.

The world number 109 was hoping to follow on from his third place finish in last week’s Mission Hills Celebrity Pro-am event in which he earned $70,000.

The BMW Masters is followed by the Turkish Airlines Championship in two weeks’ time, which also carries a $7 million prize fund, before the Tour’s conclusion in Dubai at the end of November.

There are no midway cuts in any of the BMW, Turkish Airlines, or World Championship events meaning all the players are guaranteed four full rounds.