Dougherty still in the hunt for Rider Cup spot

2:00pm Tuesday 19th August 2008

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With two weeks left in Europe’s Ryder Cup race, Chorley’s Nick Dougherty now knows it could all come down to what sort of hotel bed he gets in Holland and Scotland.

The 26-year-old has put himself back into contention by finishing joint second to Swede Peter Hanson at last weekend’s SAS Masters in Stockholm – but only after going through the pain barrier.

Dougherty woke up before the final round with back trouble and was glad for once his chiropractor was not out on tour with him.

“If there was a chance of me doing some long-term damage he would have told me to pull the plug and quit,” said the Shaw Hill pro, returning to form after the understandable slump that followed his mother’s death in April.

“But after all I’ve been through, I was going to finish no matter what.

“I don’t know if the bed was too soft, but every time I bent over I felt it.

“I went to the gym to try to warm up, but it got worse.

“The pain was no big deal, but I knew that if it went into spasm it was all over and I’d just have to pick my ball up and go in.”

Two behind Hanson overnight, Dougherty fought back to claim a £104,000 cheque and he stands 14th in the European Ryder Cup race – just over £120,000 behind Dane Soren Hansen in the 10th and last automatic qualifying spot.

Dougherty will look to close the gap even further in his next two European Tour events.

He heads to Zandvoort in the Netherlands for the KLM Open that starts on Thursday, before competing in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland next week.