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Dougherty was "delighted" to get it around in two under, especially given that he hit only eight of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens in regulation. He tallied a tidy 27 putts, only 11 of them on the back nine, while shooting a three-under 32; he made birdies on 11, 13 and 17, and no bogeys. He made one birdie on the front, on the par-3 6th hole, and back-to-back bogeys on the tricky par-4 7th and brutal par-3 8th. The David Leadbetter disciple says that while he is still under the tutelage of "Lord Lead," a new secondary coach, Damien Taylor, has helped him turn things around.
"I'm not very good at defending [a lead]," said Dougherty, whose brother is a corporate lawyer in New York. "I'm not good on the back foot. I can't kind of prod it around. It's important for me to go out there and just keep going."
If you believe in omens, Dougherty got here by way of the Walton Heath, England, sectional qualifier, the same one that gave us Michael Campbell, who won the Open at Pinehurst in 2005.
A bon vivant when he turned pro in 2001 who has slowly distanced himself from his party-boy rep, Dougherty played Pinehurst, too. And while he finished well back, tied for 52nd after rounds of 72-74-74-75, he calls it, "the most special week I've had on the golf course."
And now a word about the flute, the one that Dougherty played as a boy. He was so good that he reached Grade Six, whatever that means. It seems his father thought it would be a great idea for Nick to continue to play as an adult, but not just any flute. He had to have the best.
So Dad made a deal. He knew Pete Best, the original drummer for the Beatles, and cashed in on that connection to obtain one of Paul McCartney's first guitars. Then Daddy Dougherty, bless his heart, traded in the instrument for a lovely new flute for his boy. Once a car salesman, always a car salesman.
"I don't know why he did it; it's his own fault," Dougherty said, laughing about the family's most infamous bogey. "Can you imagine me asking for a flute? His general idea was because I was young at the time, he said, 'When you're on tour, it will entertain you, to be able to sit in your room and play the flute.' You can imagine it, can't you? It's a great idea. TGI Friday's is much more fun...
"Yeah, you win some, you lose some, don't you," Dougherty continued. "I'll get him something better. If I win this, I'll buy him something nice, a house or something."
