Having won the BMW International Open three years ago, Nick Dougherty was invited to this season's event, yet instead of taking the chance to battle for a €2m prize fund he was at Aviemore playing for around 10% of that last weekend.
The reason? "I needed to get the enjoyment back," said the 30-year-old.
At first glance, the Challenge Tour would hardly seem to be the ideal place for that, not least because competition is fierce. Finishing level par after two rounds at Spey Valley, for example, was not enough to prolong a player's involvement in the competition, just as it was mot enough in Cologne.
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