Dougherty finds a new way at the Old Course

Brian Creighton , The Observer, 7 October 2007

Nick Dougherty admitted this week he has been chasing victories too hard this year, without reward, and so he intended to change tack and just have fun. He had enough fun at St Andrews to record a superb 66 and open a three-stroke lead in the Dunhill Links leaderboard with one round left.

Several golfers were still out on the three courses used for this event when Dougherty finished his round, but none was likely to get closer to Dougherty and Peter O'Malley, the 42-year-old Australian who shot a course-record-equalling 64 at Carnoustie on Friday. He had a 69 on the Old Course yesterday.

Near the bottom of the board, Colin Montgomerie endured what he called a horrendous week at the end of a horrible year in Scotland, posting a two-over 74 at Kingsbarns to go with his earlier rounds of 74 at Carnoustie and 71 on the Old Course. Two years after winning the title, he finished tied 137th and missed the three-round cut by a mile. 'It's been an extremely disappointing three days,' he said. 'I've had a terrible time in Scotland this year. I missed the cut at Loch Lomond, at The Open and now here.' Not for the first time in his recent history, his putting proved his undoing. 'I had 38 putts today, nine more than I should have had. It's been just horrendous.'