IN-form European Tour player David Dixon will be the man to watch in the Total Triumph Classic at Oake Manor, near Taunton, next week.

After making the cut in his last four Tour events in Mauritius, Morocco, China and Spain, the 39-year-old globe-trotter starts as favourite in the opening PGA West Order of Merit tournament of the season at the course 20 miles from his Enmore Park base on Tuesday and Wednesday May 24-25.

Of course he would have preferred to be playing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in an attempt to consolidate his 112th ranking on the Race to Dubai after winning almost 82,000 Euros so far.

But he has committed himself to the region since losing the Tour card he regained in December and has won four OOM tournaments. Last year he finished in a tie for third at Oake Manor on the way to claiming sixth place in the OOM. He also returned to win the club’s pro-am.

He faces stiff opposition from a field which includes former Ryder Cup player Phillip Price. The Welshman is playing regularly in the region before his attempt to qualify for the Champions Tour in America next year.

He won the PGA West Region championship at Royal North Devon in his final OOM his final event last season.

Jon Bevan, captain of the winning PGA Cup team in California last year, is back in the West at Sherborne and has fond memories of Oake Manor as the winner in 2010.

Chris Gill (Newquay), the first champion eight years ago, Liam Bond (St Pierre), Barry Austin (Downes Crediton), Matt Dearden (Cardiff) and defending champion Paul Hendriksen (Ivybridge) are also in the field.

Gloucestershire trio Ross Langdon (Brickhampton Court), Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) and Giuseppe Licata (Chipping Sodbury) have enjoyed excellent winter results.

Devon’s David Sheppard, former Moor Park professional Lawrence Farmer, now living in Somerset, and recently retired Ron Macrow (Cannington) return to OOM action.

European Tour winners Gary Emerson (Remedy Oak) and Andrew Sherborne (Trevose) plus European Seniors Tour winner Kevin Spurgeon (Ferndown) bring years of experience.

James Ruth (China) Fleet is the most notable absentee as he will appear at Wentworth as the sole West representative after qualifying through the Play-Offs in November.

The second day features 80 amateurs playing alongside the 40 pros who make the cut for the final round, a popular scheme devised by Oake Manor’s PGA director of golf Russell Gardner.

Neil Mossman, managing director of Taunton motor cycle dealers Total Triumph and a former captain at Oake Manor, said: “With more than 100 professionals many good amateurs, the first order of merit event of the season has become an established and highly regarded tournament.”

Somerset players include Alex Munro, Lewis Hanney, Timothy Burdon (Oake Manor), Simon Stevenson, Christopher Wyatt, Peter Faragher (Taunton & Pickeridge), Andrew March (Brean), Taunton’s Mike Steadman (Swingrite Golf Centre) and David Haines (Burnham & Berrow).