RYDER Cup hopeful Nick Dougherty has saluted the work of his mind man as he returns to the scene of the finest moment of his short career.

The Chorley golfer has worked with his mental coach Jamil Quirsehi for over a year and hopes he can work his magic again as Dougherty returns to Singapore to defend his Masters title - his first and only title to date.

But the 23-year-old, who is currently lying eighth in the European team Ryder Cup standings with 672,052 to his name, hopes working with Quirsehi will push him on to further glory.

He said: "In Singapore, Jamil helped me the night before the final round. He was saying I was good enough to beat these guys.

"But then you think, Monty's won all those European Order of Merit titles, Thomas (Bjorn) is playing great'.

"But he made the point that I had beaten them on the third day and I could do it again. He leaves you with a very positive outlook.

"When I first met Jamil, he knew nothing about golf. Most of the work we do is about my personal life.

"By creating balance in my personal life he allowed me to get balance in my professional career.

"I have got clarity over everything I do now."

Dougherty has regularly spoken of how his life, and consequently his game, is today in much better shape after a self-inflicted spell in the doldrums.

Refocused, he ended 2005 15th on the Order of Merit and recalls what the five-stroke win in Singapore meant to him.

"The best night out I've had in my life was the Sunday in Singapore," Dougherty continued.

"It wasn't a big night, I was just sitting in a bar and everyone was coming up to me. You think, You've done it!' "To have the respect of the other players is so satisfying. It was picture perfect.

"To beat Monty and Thomas (Bjorn) on a tough course with a fantastic crowd there and to win by five shots, that is really something special."