Nick Dougherty could not stop himself from laughing last night after the inevitable question came up following his victory in the BMW International Open in Germany.

The one-stroke win over Argentina's Rafa Echenique, who in a dramatic finish sank a 243-yard three-iron for an albatross two on the closing hole, earned Dougherty a place in the Open at Turnberry.

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Asked about his chances of now winning a major the 27-year-old from Liverpool just chuckled and said: "It's amazing how quickly the questions change.

"A few weeks ago people were asking me 'Are you going to get your form back?' and 'How are you going to work your way back to being one of the better players in Europe?'

"Now it's about majors. I love it."

Dougherty's slide since his mother died suddenly from a heart attack just after his Masters debut last year had taken him not only out of the world's top 50, but out of the top 100 as well.

He failed to make it into the Ryder Cup, he failed to earn a return trip to Augusta and he failed to come through qualifying events for the US Open and Open as well.

But now he will be at Turnberry through a mini-Order of Merit that he did not even know much about until he was told he was in position to take one of the two spots on offer yesterday.

Having led the US Open two years ago, however, Dougherty does not rule out the possibility that he could be Britain's next major champion.

"People are always going on about experience, but I believe that Lucas Glover (the new US Open champion) is a great example and I believe that if I keep doing what I am I'll have some chances down the line - and hopefully I'll take some of them.

"Last year was a terrible year for me in more ways than one. I've covered this and I hate going over it, but I just collapsed after my Mum died.

"Up until then I was going to make the Ryder Cup, I was definitely one of the best players in Europe, I finished seventh in the US Open, played with Tiger Woods in it, felt comfortable and everything was hunky-dory.

"Then my world turned upside down. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I wasn't prepared for it. It was horrible.

"There were times last year when I was probably thinking 'Once my exemption runs out how am I going to keep my card?' because I was playing so bad.

"People who know me and my golf game thought I was crazy, but these things happen.

"In time, though, you start to heal. I collected myself and I realised that I have the potential to be a great player. Days like today are not a coincidence - I can do this."

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