Dougherty Stays Positive

Nick Dougherty has for long been considered one of England’s most promising golfers. Along with players such as Justin Rose, Paul Casey, David Howell and others, he has been at the forefront of the English game, which is still searching for a world-class successor to six-time Major champion Nick Faldo.

Indeed, one of Dougherty’s mentors is his namesake, who spends a lot of his time these days grooming the next generation of golfing stars, be they English or from Asia.

That is why his second-round meltdown at the US Open is so frustrating. After taking the first-round lead at Oakmont with 68, Dougherty imploded with a second round of 77. At least he made the cut and was tied 13th with a bunch of players, including Tigers Woods, going into the weekend only five shots off the lead.

I came across Dougherty at the 2006 Singapore Masters when I was hired by a Hong Kong-based public relations company to write the press releases for the Singapore Masters and the Indonesian Open the previous week, both co-sanctioned European Tour and Asian Tour events.

Dougherty was the defending champion and came across as confident without being cocky and a genuinely affable bloke. He also showed the kind of ruthless streak required of anyone who wanted to succeed in the pro ranks. With local hero Mardan Mamat leading the way after three rounds, the in-pursuit Dougherty tried to use mind games to unsettle the Singaporeans by telling the media he will go after him.

It is to Mardan’s credit that he held his nerve to win the tournament, but Dougherty provided the tournament with drama and excitement with his talent and enthusiasm. He is displaying the same positive attitude in the US Open, as he said after his second round in the Daily Mail.

“I stuck in there well really. US Open golf, and especially that today, once the shots are gone, they don’t really come back and the next hole you have another challenge. Right away after you’ve made a mistake you have another tough challenge. Seven over is a bad score, but it’s put me in the tournament. I’m relatively pleased to be honest.”


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