Dougherty finds it’s still a wonderful life

3 July 2012

Most people go to the seaside for sun, sand and a spot of relaxation. But not Nick Dougherty. Not today, when the salty air was a teasing reminder of pleasures to be found on the beach a well-struck five-iron from Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club.

Dougherty? The name might ring a bell. Either side of the turn of the new millennium this protege of Sir Nick Faldo confirmed his status as a star in the making by winning the Boys World Championship and then contributing towards a Great Britain and Ireland triumph in the Walker Cup.

Success remained a partner in the professional ranks, where Dougherty was Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2002 ahead of European Tour victories at the Singapore Masters and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

His place in the vanguard of a new exciting generation of British golfers — Dougherty’s peers included Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter — seemed assured when he emerged as first-round leader of the 2007 US Open and was a last-day contender for the following year’s US Masters, with a Ryder Cup debut in his sights.

So what is Dougherty, recently turned 30, doing down at 829 in the world rankings and making a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the Open Championship on a Southport course where, apart from his playing partners, he will have only seagulls for company?

Put it down to a stubborn refusal to let a devastating hand — the death of his mother Ennis from a heart attack in the wake of that Masters tournament four years ago — deal him out of the game.

A reflective Dougherty said: “To that point in my career I’d never had anything really bad happen. There were a few missed cuts here and there but if that’s the worst thing you have to worry about then it’s a pretty good life.

“But in an instant my world crumbled, and I wasn’t equipped to deal with it. I made a series of bad decisions from a bad place, which led me to having to suffer like I have done for the past couple of years.”

In fact, Dougherty did win again — the 2009 BMW International Open in Germany — but that merely delayed the inevitable and by late last autumn he had lost his playing privileges after making only one cut from 32 events and failing at Tour school.

It was a tough time for Dougherty, who admitted he would often be inconsolable upon returning home to wife Di Stewart, the television presenter, after yet another early tournament exit. He recalled: “I was going out there every day slogging my guts out and I was just getting it thrown back in my face with embarrassing scores. But Di was great, super-supportive.”

Guided by ‘Chubby’ Chandler, the manager he shares with Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. who will defend his Open title at Royal Lytham later this month, Dougherty took the brave decision to drop down a division this year and compete on the Challenge Tour. “I’d never had to do hard yards. These are my hard yards now,” he said.

Dougherty is walking them well. He can detect signs that dogged perseverance allied with a conscious decision to live life in the present — on his terms, rather than those dictated by his past — are bearing fruit. On the fairways and greens Dougherty is making cuts again, while off the course he is looking forward to becoming a father for the first time.

“I realise now that I had my perspective all screwed up,” he said. “It seemed my happiness was going to come from tournaments won, accolades received, pats on the back. But I’ve cleared out a lot of that baggage. I’ve got wonderful stability in my life with my wife, and I’m actually looking forward to going and playing golf now. I’m in a happier place.”

Nick Dougherty is an ambassador for Glenmorangie, official whisky sponsor of the 2012 Open Championship

Dougherty finds it’s still a wonderful life

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