KEY POINTS:
Nick Dougherty is not the first golfer to discover there are more important things in life than belting a small white ball around acres of green turf.
The Englishman will be a contender for the New Zealand Open title this weekend after roaring around Gulf Harbour in 5-under
66 yesterday morning. But if he does fade over the final two rounds he's unlikely to go through much mental agony.
And should the 24-year-old go on to become a dominant figure on the world stage, he might reflect on the importance of this year, when he learned to lighten up.
Last March, Dougherty was on track to make the European Ryder Cup team. He'd had four top-five finishes in his first 10 starts, including a second at the Singapore Masters.
Then he was beset by a string of personal problems. The harder he tried to keep his game on track the more it slipped away.
The Ryder Cup - when Europe belted the United States - came and went. The K Club just outside Dublin was a good place to be for a European in September.
"If I'd kept doing what I was doing I'd have made the team," Dougherty said. "But I started pushing harder. It meant too much to me. I play best when I'm relaxed.
"I took it very personally when I got bad breaks on the course. So many times I've blasphemed, but the golf ball has no memory."
He's also got a realistic perspective on his place in the scheme of golf.
"What I see as an amazing achievement only matters to me and my family," he said. "People might come and watch but they don't care. And it's not going to cure cancer. It's a sport and I'm lucky enough to play it for a living."
Dougherty has something of the free spirit about him. He's an accomplished flute player who admits to not enjoying the more claustrophobic aspects of life on the European tour. He likes this part of the globe and is at ease here. He describes Gulf Harbour's signature 16th hole as "one of the most picturesque I've ever played" and likes it that, in this part of the world, "when I stand on the tee I find it easier to picture the shot I want to hit".
Dougherty finished 39th on this year's European Order of Merit, 24 spots back from his 2005 finish, when he won his maiden Tour event, the Caltex Masters in Singapore.
Five birdies in the space of six holes yesterday sent him hurtling up the leaderboard. His putter worked a charm and "if I putt well I can compete even when I'm not playing at my best".
If his putter keeps singing over the next two days, he'll be in business tomorrow afternoon.
