Nick Dougherty is a player on the PGA European Tour. Born on May 24, 1982, in Liverpool, England, Dougherty won his first golf tournament when he was 6 years old. After he won the inaugural Faldo Junior Series in 1997, Nick Faldo took him under his wing and the two stayed in touch. Off the course, Dougherty's interests include psychology and flying.
Amateur Accomplishments
Dougherty won the Faldo Junior Series in 1997, 1999 and 2000. In 1999 he earned the World Boys Championship and was the USA Polo Classic Under 19 Champion and the Canon European Under 21 Champion. In 2000 he won the Guatemalan Open Championship and in 2001 he won the Lake Macquarie International Amateur Championship in Australia.
Professional Career
Dougherty turned pro on August 20, 2001. He earned the European Tour's Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in 2002 after finishing second at the Qatar Masters and third at the Linde German Masters.
Dougherty earned his first European Tour victory by winning the Singapore Masters in 2005. He has won the 2007 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the 2009 BMW International Open in Munich, Germany.
In 2007 Dougherty finished second at the Blue Chip New Zealand Open and the Scandinavian Masters. He also earned a second-place finish at the SAS Masters in 2008.
Other top-five finishes over the years include a fourth-place finish at the 3 Irish Open in 2009, a fourth-place finish at the Celtic Manor Wales Open in 2008, a third-place finish at the Telecom Italia Open in 2007 and a fourth-place finish at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters in 2007.
Majors
As of 2009, Dougherty's best finish in a major came in 2007 when he finished tied for seventh place at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Dougherty led after the first round before giving way to eventual champion Angel Cabrera.
Dougherty finished tied for 33rd place in the 2008 Masters and tied for 38th place in the 2009 British Open.
Teams
As an amateur, Dougherty was on the winning team at the World Boys Championship in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 he was on the winning side in the World Cup of Golf. Just before turning pro, Dougherty helped his Great Britain and Ireland team to victory in the 2001 Walker Cup.
As a professional, Dougherty helped his Great Britain and Ireland team defeat continental Europe to win the 2007 Seve Trophy.
A Little Help
In addition to getting mentored by Faldo, Dougherty received coaching from his father, Roger, as a youngster. In 2003, Dougherty began working with David Leadbetter. He struggled and turned to mental coach Jamil Quireshi for help. Stunned by the sudden death of his mother, Ennis, in 2008, he turned to Faldo for comfort.
About The Author
Marci Shear has been a sports reporter for the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Shear has also written for several magazines, including Vineline and the Chicago Sports Review. In her 14-year career, Shear has covered high school sports, college football, basketball and major league baseball. She has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Chicago.
