Dougherty shares revival with wife

Nick Dougherty leads after an eight under-par 63 at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland (GETTY IMAGES)

England's Nick Dougherty finally had something to smile about this year with an eight-under-par 63 at Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland, yesterday to lead the first round of the Omega European Masters.

In a nightmare slump to 791st in the world the former highly rated prospect from Liverpool has not made a single halfway cut since the Hong Kong Open last November, just before he married Di Stewart, golf presenter for Sky Sports and former girlfriend of Jonny Wilkinson. "It's quite a bounce-back," said Dougherty when interviewed afterwards by his wife. "I do like to be a little bit dramatic when I do everything, as you well know."