Dougherty looking to keep on improving

Jul 19 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

NICK DOUGHERTY came through the pain experienced by the death of his mother and the effect on his golf form to return an six-over total yesterday and reach the final act of the Open.

“The last couple of months have been difficult and my golf has suffered,” he said a few days ago. “Now I am definitely playing for her (his mother Ennis who died, aged 61, in late April after suffering a heart attack). Doing it for myself is just not cutting it at the moment.”

But signs that that situation, with the impact it has had on his golf, is now beginning to show improvement came yesterday as the Liverpool-born player returned to the famous links where he played as a youngster and where he came for golf lessons every Saturday morning.

Six-over gives him a pass to join the best in the world in the final 36 holes but it was less than his dream result to survive last night’s cut for the final two rounds starting this morning.

At least, asked at the 18th greenside press conference whether he would have settled for that earlier this week, he replied: “No, I would have expected better than that.

“We have been on the right side of the draw as well. I would have liked to have capitalised a bit more on it but you have got to play with the cards you are dealt and that is what I have done.”

Under dark skies threatening yet more rain and with his fans in the packed stands at 7.30am and alongside the fairways with their calls of encouragements Dougherty began as if he was going to produce a flawless if perhaps finally unspectacular round.

He opened with 12 straight pars which included a greenside bunker sand-save at the par-four second and an awesome display of big-hitting at the 499-yard par-four sixth where, playing into the wind, he reached the distant angle of the dog-leg with his drive to give sight of the green.

Those first 12 holes might have been even better. The ninth, 11th and 12th seemed to offer birdies chances.

The 13th, a massive par four of 499 yards produced his first dropped shot, when after reaching the front of the green in two he played three more for a five. Pars followed at 14 and the 544-yard par-five 15th.

He lost another shot to par at the 16th but reclaimed the stroke at the mighty par-five 17th, at 572 yards Birkdale’s longest hole which is also tightly protected with greenside bunkers. Dougherty’s second shot found the greenside sand but he came out for his only birdie of his round.

But the recovery seems under way. “It was nice to shoot a half-decent score,” he reported. “I did not play very well but it’s nice to make a cut, particularly as the last few weeks have been tough. Certainly I would not want to come here and miss the cut.

“I have got a lot of work to do. The funny thing is I am still very much in the tournament. If I can start playing well at the weekend I am still right there.

“The hard bit is going to be getting my game in shape. It was a bit of a battle today.

“I expected to do better but I was pleased to have made the cut, especially here. Certainly better than I did at Hoylake – I let everyone down there. Hopefully I will get the chance to improve.”

He paid tribute to his travelling fans. “Very faithful,” he said. “It has been fantastic. They have been very, very good. Hopefully, I can give them something better to cheer about over the weekend.”

He wants that for his fans, also these days for his mum Ennis and, of course, for himself and his own golf ambitions.

As he says: “This being Ryder Cup year I have to start climbing the ladder somewhere.”