WELSH professional Richard Dinsdale will be playing alongside the stars of world golf next year after winning the West Region PGA Order of Merit.

That guarantees him a place in the BMW PGA Champion-ships at Wentworth, considered the second biggest tournament in Europe behind The Open.

The Newport player will mix it with the likes of European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen and defending champion Simon Khan, the former Wales Open winner who shocked everyone to win this year’s BMW Championships in May.

And it will be like old times for Dinsdale, a former main European Tour card holder, who is now the resident professional at Newport’s Parc Golf Club at Coedkernew.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” he said. “It was certainly not my main goal because that was to get into the top three for the play-offs in November because whoever wins those will get a place in the regional Opens (Wales Open, Scottish Open) next year.

“So on the back of this, I get to play at Wentworth which is fantastic. It is the first time I’ve won this and I think the last Welshman to take it was Sion Bebb back in 2001.

“I think Phil Price has won it as well.”

The 38-year-old went into the final event with a clear lead in the West Region after finishing third in the Total Triumph Classic at Oake Manor and winning the Ryder Cup Wales 2010 Welsh Open PGA Championships at Ashburnham.

A fifth place at the Forest Classic, which Dinsdale won last year in a play-off, meant he retained his lead going into the last tournament at the Players Club, Bristol.

Nearest challenger Richard O’Hanlon, of Lanhydrock, who won the Forest Classic, did not perform in the final event and, although he was not too good himself, Dinsdale had done enough with three events out of four counting to secure the title.

Dinsdale, who had a Tour card in 1996, has been the Parc Club pro for six years and is continuing to add to his personal achievements, which include, in 2006, winning the Lombard Trophy with Korean JP Kim.

He would never say never to another try at the European Tour but is quite happy where he is at the moment.

“I would love to go on the main circuit again but I’m not in the position to go into the Tour School and go through all the qualifying process,” he said.

But joining the big boys again next May at Wentworth could well fire up Dinsdale to successfully defend his Order of Merit crown in 2011.