Nick Dougherty in time out ahead of Masters

Mar 25 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Nick Dougherty, Liverpool-born professional golfer _320

NICK DOUGHERTY finished in a share of 51st place in the World Golf Championship’s CA tournament at Doral in Florida at the weekend with a one-under-par total of 287.

Making his first appearance in the prestigious event, with a restricted field of 79 of the world’s top players, Dougherty had rounds of 70, 73, 71, 73 for a respectable rather than memorable debut.

Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who led from start to finish, took the 865,000 euros first prize with a 17-under-par total of 271.

Dougherty earned 28,678 euros to move up to 43rd in the European Tour order of merit with 168,093 euros from seven starts.

Dougherty has not entered the next two events on the European Tour and over the next two weeks will be practising in readiness for his first ever appearance in the US Masters at Augusta, starting on April 10.

Bromborough’s Paul Waring improved every round when he played in the Madeira Island Open on the European Tour, only his fourth start since he gained his card at the Tour School last November.

Waring opened with a 75 then added a 73 to just make the cut in a share of 64th place, but then he posted rounds of 70, 69 over the weekend to finish in a share of 34th on one-under-par 287.

His cheque for 5,337 euros took his season’s earnings to 31,768 and he stands 140th in the tour order of merit.

Lee Slattery also played all four rounds in Madeira but finished down in a share of 65th place on six-over-par 294. He shot 74, 73, 72, 75 to earn 1,610 to take his season’s total to 95,910 from six starts and he’s 69th in the order.

Styal’s David Horsey, a former England international team mate of Waring, missed the cut after rounds of 75, 77 and lies 107th in the order with earnings of 54,047 euros from six starts.

Waring, Slattery and Warrington’s Phil Archer are all in the field for the Andalucia Open starting in Spain on Thursday.

Archer returns to action having missed the Madeira event, which saw him slip three places to 61st in the order. He moved up to 58th with his biggest cheque of the season, 42,400 euros for a share of ninth in the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea.