Dougherty takes detour from road to ruin

One of Britain’s brightest golfing prospects today spoke about the damage done to his career by enjoying too much of the good life.

Nick Dougherty, the 22-year-old from Liverpool who was Luke Donald’s partner in the 1999 Walker Cup in America, is not afraid to admit that he cried earlier this year as he fell into depression and feared for his future.

But, with the help of a hypnotherapist and top coach David Leadbetter, Dougherty appears to have turned the corner.

He saved his place on the European Tour two weeks ago by finishing sixth in the German Masters – “I’ve never felt pressure like it,” he said – and is now only one stroke behind leaders Graeme McDowell, Nick O’Hern and Jose Manuel Lara after an opening four-under-par 68 in The Heritage at Woburn.

“I don’t just want to be a good European Tour player. I want to win in America, play in the Ryder Cup, win majors,” stated Dougherty. “But the game I had just didn’t cut it. Neither did my work ethic.

“I was living the life of Riley and I became so depressed. Golf had never made me cry before, but it did a couple of times this year.

“I was a 19, 20 and 21-year-old and it was fun. My old man had been quite strict with me in a good way, but all of a sudden I had money.

“I liked it far too much. I wouldn’t say golf was second place, but it was not ahead of everything else.

“I slackened off for a couple of years. A load of people said stuff and it almost drove me to do the opposite.

“I don’t know whether it was stubbornness, but I like making my own choices. This is my own business – Nick Dougherty plc.”

Dougherty slid from 36th on the Order of Merit to 60th last season and also went down with glandular fever.

“It’s brought on my stress and I don’t deserve any pity for getting it because I brought it on myself,” he added.

“My friends away from golf are different – the weekend comes and it’s party time. If there’s something going on I don’t like to miss out. But it was a bad mistake.

“I got to the end of last year and almost felt pleased with finishing 60th.

“But I only got there because of one second place in Sweden. It makes you feel sick knowing how much time your family is putting into it. Relationships suffered, but it was a kick up the arse.

“You all know you can’t do that and get away with it, but I didn’t appreciate how much time I was wasting.”

Dougherty is known as ‘Little Nick’ because of the relationship he struck up as a youngster with Nick Faldo, and the six-time major champion was among those concerned with how his career was sliding.

“I have the utmost respect for him and he had a quiet word with me because he said he had heard things,” said Dougherty.

It all made him realise that action had to be taken, not only on his lifestyle but also with his swing. As Faldo did in the mid-1980s, and Ian Poulter and Justin Rose more recently, he turned to Leadbetter.

“When Ian and Justin changed their swings they had an exemption and that makes it a lot easier. My previous swing was good enough to get me second places, but to get where I want to go I had to change,” Dougherty added.

“It’s been a crap year, but I’ve got through it unscathed and I’ve done what I had to do with my swing. It’s come on a lot and I trust it a bit more now.”

Now he is thinking big again.

“I’m not sure I would have been ready for this Ryder Cup, but I’ll be pretty upset if I don’t make the next one. And I’d like to play for the rest of my career how I played on the front nine today – I was playing great,” he added.

McDowell’s 67 came after he double-bogeyed the first hole and after the disappointment of the German Masters two weeks ago, where he lost from five clear of the field early in the final round.

“It was a big blow, but to throw it away like I did only makes me work harder and finish the season strongly,” he said.

McDowell was paired with returning Ryder Cup hero Colin Montgomerie and out-scored him by four despite the Scot’s birdie-eagle finish.

As for the other three European team members on view this week, David Howell also shot 71, Padraig Harrington 72 and Ian Poulter 77.