NICK DOUGHERTY'S burning desire to make the Ryder Cup team in honour of his late mother brought him charging through the field when he resumed the Italian Open in Milan today.
The 25-year-old from Liverpool could easily have pulled out of the event after attending her funeral on Tuesday – she died of a heart attack on April 27 – but knew that her wish was for him to do all he could to be part of Nick Faldo's side in Septem
ber.
On a day of low scoring, an opening one-under-par 71 had left him outside the top 65 who survive the halfway cut tonight but, with seven holes of his second round to go, he was up into a tie for seventh.
Six under for the day and seven under for the tournament, Dougherty, boosted by a hat-trick of birdies the moment he teed off again, was only three off the lead shared by fellow Englishman Steve Webster, Swede Robert Karlsson and South African Hennie Otto.
That followed a morning of thrills and spills that saw Paraguayan Marco Ruiz out in front on his own before double-bogeying the seventh, then Dane Soren Kjeldsen take over at the top before running up a triple-bogey seven at the 462-yard second.
Karlsson was playing with Dougherty and his move was a spectacular one with eagle putts of 30 and 15 feet on the 15th and first. At 48th in the world – the only player in the field ranked higher than Dougherty – Karlsson could have played in the money-spinning Players Championship in Florida.
He was sixth there last year, but confusion over the cut-off date for the world's top 50 to qualify led to him deciding to play in Italy instead.
Eighth in the Ryder Cup standings just ahead of Dougherty, both were trying for a win that would take them into sixth place in the race.
Webster won the title three years ago and last October put himself into contention for the Ryder Cup as well by landing the Portugal Masters.
That came after the death of his mother earlier in the season, so he could certainly empathise with Dougherty. English rookie Ross McGowan shared the overnight lead with Ruiz, but managed only a front nine 38.
