Nick Dougherty has taken plenty of confidence from his first appearance of the season on the Challenge Tour as he rebuilds his career.
Englishman building confidence on Challenge Tour
Nick Dougherty has taken plenty of confidence from his first appearance of the season on the Challenge Tour as he starts the process of rebuilding his career.
Dougherty, a three-time European Tour winner, was regarded as one of Britain's most promising talents a few years back but saw his form disintegrate last term.
He made only one cut all season as he lost his playing privileges, winning just 9,000 euros and slumping to a lowly 964th in the world rankings.
But the Englishman hinted at a return to form last week as he finished a respectable fourth in the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic with rounds of 71, 70, 68 and 73 in tough, windy conditions.
The performance has convinced Dougherty to play in the next event on the Challenge Tour schedule, the Barclays Kenya Open, in two weeks' time.
"It's been a great experience," he said. "The standard on the Challenge Tour is superb. It was not easy this week but there were some really good scores.
Tough competition
"All of these guys playing this kind of golf could easily play on The European Tour. The standard is tough and the competition is high so it's really tested me and I really enjoyed it.
"It reminds me of when I was younger where you just warm up beforehand, whereas on The European Tour there's a perfect pyramid of balls to hit off perfect turf to loads of greens, so it almost becomes a practice session, whereas here it's a proper warm up.
"It's made me more laid back and it's what I've got to get back to doing because I think it's what the best players in the world do no matter what the conditions.
Dougherty took a long break from the game after failing to regain his card in the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in December, and decided to follow his new manager Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler's advice and join the Challenge Tour in an effort to start from scratch and rebuild his career.
"I could have come and shot in the 100s because I hadn't played in so long," he said. "But it's baby steps.
"I've played poorly for a couple of years and I'm working hard at it and I feel like I'm making some really good progress in my mind now so it's definitely a step in the right direction."
