Dougherty claims second win to join the elite

Extract, Lawrence Donegan, The Guardian, 8 October 2007

If six-hour rounds and amateur hacking have often made the Dunhill Links Championship the golfing equivalent of water torture then the 2007 edition of the European Tour's lucrative pro-am proved an unalloyed delight yesterday on an afternoon at St Andrews that brought victory for Nick Dougherty and confirmation that Rory McIlroy, the 18-year-old Irishman, is as brilliant as has been advertised.

Three shots ahead after the third round, Dougherty overcame a nightmare start - two holes, two bogeys - to forge a two-shot victory over a distinguished leaderboard and claim the £392,000 winner's cheque, easily the biggest pay-day of his life. "This is the one I have been waiting for a long time, a really big one," the Englishman said after the second win of the professional career, to add to the 2005 Singapore Open. "Hopefully, I'll be able to push on from here." ..........