Dougherty and Goydos can
be an inspiration to us all

By DEREK LAWRENSON FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Updated: 19:27 EST, 29 June 2009

One disappeared off the radar last year following the shattering loss of his mother at a shockingly early age; the other took time out to look after his two daughters following the awful loss of their mother, who was addicted to painkillers.

You didn't need to be interested in golf, therefore, to follow the fortunes of Englishman Nick Dougherty and American Paul Goydos on Sunday, as they battled for titles on either side of the Atlantic; just an observer of human life, and the obstacles that have to be surmounted.

It is almost a year to the day since I met Dougherty in the Malmaison hotel in Liverpool. My idea was to write about the scouser playing in his hometown Open at Royal Birkdale. 'I have a different story that I'd like you to write,' he said.

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Nick Dougherty

So it was that Dougherty told the world about his trips to North Wales to his mother's grave; his sessions with grief counsellors, and the day he committed the otherwise unpardonable sin for a professional athlete of mentally quitting during a tournament.

Not long after, Goydos gave an equally candid interview to Golf Digest, in which he told the poignant story of how his former wife Wendy took painkillers to relieve one ailment, only to become hopelessly ensnared in a far more terrifying trap.

When Goydos, who was granted full custody of their children in 2004, was complimented on how well he had brought them up, his reply cut straight to the heart:'I agree, they are really good kids, but people forget that the person who was there for them for the first 10 or 12 years of their life was Wendy.'

If you had to put up two men to represent your sport you would happily stick with this pair, who have always remained approachable, through good times and bad. 'How did you sleep last night?'  Goydos was asked on national television, when he found himself a shock contender for the Players' Championship last year. 'On my back, as always,' came the deadpan reply.

So to Sunday's final round, and a win for 27 year old Dougherty to cherish in the company of two former major champions. Alas for Goydos, it was the ageless Kenny Perry who holed all the putts that mattered. Still, the message was the same, in victory and near miss.

We shall overcome.
    
Ironic, isn't it? While tennis in this country would kill for just a fraction of the 11 British golfers ensconced in the world's top 100, what golf would give for one man armed with the mental belief to handle the media madness and expectation like Andy Murray.

Whatever else Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and the rest are doing this week, ahead of their big date at Turnberry in a fortnight, let's hope they are paying attention to the admirable manner in which Murray is dealing with the hype.     

Six from nine to follow Monty

Colin Montgomerie

When the European Tour's players' committee decided on Colin Montgomerie as the next Ryder Cup captain they didn't just select the right man for Celtic Manor. They saw a long line of successors unfold before their eyes.

So there really is no point in anybody following Jesper Parnevik's lead in declaring themselves interested in the role this side of 2022.

That's six captains to find and, unless your name is one of the following - Jose Maria Olazabal, Paul McGinley, Paul Lawrie, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Robert Karlsson, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington or Lee Westwood - it isn't going to happen.

Neither should it, by the way.          

Cheyenne Woods, neice of Tiger, made her debut on the women's US Tour last week and how the organisers must be hoping this photogenic and articulate 18-year-old improves sufficiently to make it a regular deal.  For right now, it is a toss-up as to which is more uninteresting — women's tennis or women's golf.

Ms Woods missed the cut by four shots, which suggests she's got a decent shot at beating her nephew (?? uncle?) at something. He needed eight attempts before finally making the cut in a men's U.S tour event.

At our club medal on Saturday, Mr Parsons put his name down to play with Mr Parsonage. What a shame Dr Bishop didn't join them.

Eleven days in the life of 46-year old Colin Montgomerie: Paris last Tuesday, Munich Wednesday to Sunday, Dubai yesterday, and then back to Paris for the French Open beginning on Thursday. With a schedule like that, is it any wonder that all his recent final rounds have been bad ones?

Quote of the Week:

'I told the doctor I'm thinking of changing my name to Seve Mulligan.'

At the opening of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation in Madrid, the Spaniard, who has had four operations for brain cancer, speaks of his happiness at being given a second chance at life.