Dangerous driving is pits for Nick Dougherty

Nick Dougherty hasn't finished first in any of golf's four biggest events, of course. But he has won three times on the European Tour, including the 2007 Dunhill Links Championship; he has played for Great Britain & Ireland in both the Walker Cup and the Seve Trophy; and he does have a top-ten finish in the US Open on his resume. So he can play. Or, at least, he could play. Right now, this likeable Englishman is mired in the sort of slump he and his peers have nightmares about.

The numbers do not make pretty reading. This season Dougherty has played in 11 European Tour events and has missed the halfway cut in all 11. He has broken 70 once and par but three times. For the 22 rounds he has completed, he is 91 over par. He has shot 82 three times and 81 once. His best "finish" is 75th. And he is currently ranked the 568th best player on the planet, 522 places below his peak of 46th in April 2008.

Last year wasn't much better than this. In 26 European Tour events Dougherty - rookie of the year back in 2002 - missed 12 cuts, failed to register in the top ten at even one tournament and had a best finish of tied 14th in Qatar.

All of which is a far cry from the routine success the Liverpool-born 29-year old enjoyed during the first seven years of a professional career that has earned him more than 6 million.

"I've been struggling with my swing and have been ever since my mum passed away in April 2008," he says. "Because I was in with a chance of making the Ryder Cup team that year I kept playing after her death. I shouldn't have done that, but I wanted to make the side for my mum.

"At first, in fact, I was OK. We buried my mum on a Tuesday and that same week I finished in the top ten in Italy. So my game was still there. But it slowly deteriorated. I was having a hard time dealing with her death and I just didn't know what to do.

"I lost faith in a lot of things. My mind was full of phrases like 'why do bad things happen to good people?' Stuff like that. I felt cheated by God. It just wasn't right. My mum was a great person. And I didn't think she deserved to die. Of course, until she did die, I had never really had anything really bad happen to me.And I haven't since.

"In the midst of all that, I decided to change my swing. And I went on making change after change, every time getting worse and worse."

This season at least, Dougherty's biggest problem has been his driving. Three or four times in almost every round he has been either losing balls or playing three from the tee after straying out-of-bounds. Eights and sevens have been making regular appearances on his scorecard.

"There have been times when I've come off the course and said I can't keep doing this," he admits. "I can't keep turning up and doing this. I was starting to feel physically ill. I've been sick. I've been exhausted by all the effort.

"I was awful in Korea and ended up throwing my driver in a lake. I just lost it. I knew it had nothing to do with the club but I reached the point where I just couldn't handle it. I was really, really angry and had to let it out. And I felt so much better afterwards!"

Perhaps the only good thing amidst this carnage is the survival of the amiable Dougherty personality. Always one of the more personable, intelligent and interesting members of the professional golfing fraternity, he remains, outwardly at least, unchanged.

"This experience has made me a better person," he claims. "Which is more important than how I end up as a golfer. I'll always do my best and work hard, but my life and who I am as a person is more important. Which is not to say I'll ever give up. Even if I don't make a cut the rest of this year I won't go away. I'm enjoying the challenge and want to surprise everyone.

"It's been a tough run to this point though. And it continues to be difficult. I want my wife (Sky Sports presenter Di Dougherty] to see me play well. Since we've been together I haven't played good golf. I want her to see me play my best. It's been hard for her too. She has to live it with me. And she finds it difficult to know what to do and say. She feels sad for me, which is the worst thing really. I don't want that. I don't want our life to be influenced this much by how I play golf.

"I hate it too when people stop me and ask how I'm doing. I can hear the sympathy in their voices. That doesn't help. So when people ask how I'm playing I always say, 'great thanks.' Then they look at me funny. But what do they expect me to say?"

Still, for all that he missed yet another cut at Wentworth this past week, there is at least a hint of sunshine at the end of Dougherty's dark tunnel. After experimenting with any number of coaches over the last couple of years, a recent visit to Denis Pugh - whose clients include three Ryder Cuppers in the Molinari brothers and Ross Fisher - has provided real hope for the future.

"I saw someone who was swinging the club much better than ten missed cuts would indicate," says Pugh. "But it's a step-by-step process.Nick has had a lot of advice from a lot of people, much of which he needs to forget.

"His biggest battle will be enjoying the game again. He needs to rebuild his enthusiasm for playing. I told him that, whenever he sees me on the range, he has to automatically put a ball in a divot hole and try to hit a driver from that lie. He wanted to know why. So I told him 'because it will be fun' and because no one can do it anyway. He can hit a bad shot and the world doesn't come to an end."

Dougherty, in keeping with his naturally positive nature, remains equally optimistic.

"It's a step-by-step process," he says. "First, I have to drive the ball better. When I do that I'll score better. When I do that I'll start making cuts. And when I do that I'll eventually get back into contention. And when I do that I'll win again."

Let's hope he achieves all of the above and much more, for this is a young man well worth rooting for.