Life in the fast lane

LIFE on the European Tour had been, give or take a downturn in 2004, fairly straightforward for Nick Dougherty since turning professional in 2001. His first full campaign saw him named as the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, justifying all the talk of an exceptional amateur star.

At just 19 he played a pivotal role in thrashing their America hosts 15-9 at Sea Island. The next two years' progress were hindered by one too many late nights and a bout of glandular fever but all the promise ­ former Walker Cup skipper Peter McEvoy described Dougherty as having 'the potential to be almost anything he wants' - was realised in Singapore at the start of 2005.

Then, the 22-year-old went head-to-head with Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjorn on the final day before emerging a five-shot winner and new Caltex Masters champion. Exemptions to Pinehurst No 2 and Baltusrol for the US Open and US PGA Championship followed and the Nick Faldo protege wound up the year up in 15th spot on the Order of Merit.

The next logical step on the ladder for the Liverpool-born star in the making would be a Ryder Cup berth at the K Club. A rock-solid start to 2006, no more wins but five top-10s, jockeyed him nicely into position for a place on Ian Woosnam's side.
But then things began to unravel. Starting at Celtic Manor Dougherty went on a horrifying run of 10 missed cuts, which included the last three Majors of the year. His long-awaited debut in the Open Championship, in front of plenty of local support, ended with rounds of 74 and 73 and another spare weekend.

So what went wrong?

"I'm not quite sure if I can explain why it happened to me. It was a mixture of things, there was a lot going on off the course, my confidence got knocked and I self imploded, everything went wrong. My mind completely deteriorated along with my technique - it was just one of those things that happens in sport."

A look at Dougherty's scores over that period shows nothing disastrous, efforts in the low 70s around the trickier courses on the schedule, and with the Ryder Cup star burning too brightly he decided to battle his way through his troubles ­ a move he now regrets.

"With hindsight I would have played less, why would I have put myself through that? All it needed was to turn round and win one and I was straight back in it. I couldn't afford not to play as I always wanted to play in the Ryder Cup but I put a lot of pressure on myself as I was so desperate and that wasn't the right way to do it.

"I was looking way too far in the future but I couldn't give up the ghost. I thought if I'm going to miss it I'm going to do everything I can to try and make it and, with hindsight, if someone had said you're not going to make it then I wouldn't have kept going."

Since last summer's meltdown Dougherty has slowly put things back together again. An opening 65 at Huntingdale in November represented some semblance of form and the following week he tied for second in New Zealand, despite a third-round 79 to go with a 69, 66 and 67.

Then in March he collected a share of fourth spot at Laguna National GC in Singapore, scene of his finest hour on the tour to date, but again the high finish was tinged with disappointment having double bogeyed 16 and 17 when leading the tournament. Proof that the dark days are behind him but Dougherty admits that he is not quite yet out of the woods.

"There is a fall-out from playing the way I did. In New Zealand where I was in a good position to go and win, I then put the hand break on just because the confidence wasn't quite there, then in Singapore I hit a very badly timed thin from short of the green at the 16th.

"But the confidence and mindset are extremely good. I feel I have now turned the corner, in fact I know I have. My mind is switched on and I'm fired up to go and win some tournaments this year. If someone had said five months ago you're going to feel like you can go and beat the world again I'd have doubted it."

Dougherty, as you might expect of someone to come through the Faldo Junior Series, is a devotee of the David Leadbetter school of teaching and is currently working, through Leadbetter, with Damian Taylor.

"I am working a little bit on my swing but it is mainly mental. The idea is to give me confidence and reassure me that the things I am working on are happening even when I'm not thinking about them and that's one of the benefits of having him travel with me.

"When you pull it apart there are things you need to work on and improve and slowly but surely I feel that am making progress without sacrificing my feel and belief in what I'm doing.

In spite of all those missed cuts Dougherty's belief in himself is unwavering. Underneath the good looks, beaming smile and charming personality lies a determined character. He knows he's got the game to play at the highest level but he is smart
enough to see some of the letdowns as a learning curve.

"This year we are looking to make sure my schedule is based around me being in peak condition for the middle of the season. It will be interesting to see how good I am if play the golf that I did at the start of the year. As much as I'd have loved to have won in Singapore, some good work took place there and if that allows me to win at Wentworth or one of the others then it is worth it.

"I want to play well in the good tournaments, technically doing what I want to do, turn up fresh and try and win it."

Not do well and pocket a load of cash but come out on top of the pile.

"I have never ever played golf to try and finish top 10, I always play to win. What's the point? I am capable of winning any tournament I play in. I may have to play extremely well, be on my game mentally, physically and technically but it is feasible."

Dougherty admits that if the top-fives are going to be replaced by more wins then he needs to limit the bad days to something around par ­ at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand he opened with a 68 only to miss the cut after a second-round 81.

"Watching our boys in the Ryder Cup gave me confidence as I know I can beat these guys, and have beaten every single one of them before. But they do it day in, day out. Monty's a great exponent, if he's not having a good day he will still have a 71 and that's what I don't do at the moment.

"That's what holds me back. If I had shot one-under when playing badly I would have won a bucket of tournaments. That's the key."

While one eye is firmly fixed on the big events on the European calendar, the other is looking at the more global picture and some more appearances in the Majors. So far Dougherty has only featured in five and made the weekend just once.

"If you play well in qualifying you'll definitely get in. It is never as good scoring as you think but you can't afford to have a blunder as it's only two rounds of golf. I want to play in the Open but would love to play in the US Open as it was the first Major I qualified for and made the cut. If I can play well at one of the Majors I would love to see how good I am, where I need to improve and how far behind the best I am when playing well."

Next year the Ryder Cup hullabaloo will start again for the Valhalla renewal but this time Dougherty is likely to be better equipped at  dealing with the rigours and distractions that go with making the side and, of course, the team will be led by his former mentor Faldo.

Should he make it to Kentucky his ideal partner would be Justin Rose. Both players may know a thing or two about missed cuts, but they know even more about bouncing back and learning the hard way. You wouldn't fancy their opposition's chances.