Dougherty in bad Nick (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Dougherty in bad Nick

8:55am Tuesday 9th June 2009 in

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CHORLEY’S Nick Dougherty will almost certainly miss out on a fourth successive appearance at the Open Championship after failing to finish in the top 10 at qualifying yesterday.

The Shaw Hill Golf Club professional went round in 69 on the old course at Sunningdale and then 67 on the new course at the Berkshire venue to finish on four under par in international final qualifying.

That put him three shots short of the play-off to secure qualification for the Open, which will take place at Turnberry between July 16 and 19.

Dougherty qualified automatically for last year’s Open at Royal Birkdale by virtue of finishing an impressive 11th in the 2007 European Tour Order of Merit.

But in 2008 he slipped to 44th position on the Order of Merit – outside the required top 30 – after a dip in form following the death of his mother.

That meant the former QEGS pupil had to enter international final qualifying, with only 10 of the 96-man field progressing to the Open Championship.

Dougherty’s only hope of making it to Turnberry now is to finish in the top five at the Open de France on July 5 or at the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond a week later.

Even then, he must not finish behind any player who has not already qualified.

Alternatively, he must be in the top two on the European money list for the period between May 10 and June 28, but that would require exceptional performances at both the Saint-Omer Open and the BMW International to give him a chance.

Dougherty is not even currently scheduled to enter the Saint-Omer Open.

Otherwise, he faces a year without a single major appearance having featured in all four last year. He recently failed to qualify for next week’s US Open, despite having played in the tournament in each of the past four years.

Dougherty, though, has shown signs of a return to form in recent weeks and led the Celtic Manor Wales Open going into the final round before falling away on the last day.

He is currently 38th in the European Tour Race to Dubai standings and 120th in the official world rankings.