Nick Dougherty, the young Englishman who has always shown huge potential, shot a fantastic final round of 64 yesterday to win the BMW International Open in Germany. Dougherty, who lost his way somewhat after the death of his mother, secured his first win in 2 years by overcoming his playing partners Bernhard Langer and Retief Goosen. In the end, his nearest challenger was Argentinian Rafa Echenique, who holed his 243 yard second shot for an albatross on the final hole to complete the back nine in only 27 shots.
Speaking on his dramatic win, Dougherty said “To go and beat two Major champions you’re playing with and fend off a very exciting finish from Rafa, that really caught me by surprise a little bit,” Dougherty said of Echenique’s efforts. “I kind of thought I had done the deal once I hit the green on 16. But delighted with what I did and the way I went about my business.”
Dougherty reminds me of Ian Poulter somewhat in terms of confidence. You feel that if the can just win one, they can go on to win many more! That could now be the case for Dougherty. Consistency and a regular challenge for European honors will be Dougherty’s priority first but once he can achieve this, which I believe he can, majors will no doubt become part of his main goals. He, like Casey, Poulter, Davis and Rose are all fantastic English players and I cant imagine we will have to wait much longer to see them in the winners enclosure again.
Tags: Tournament Previews/Odds/Reviews by admin
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