McHenry continues quest for success

So, you think life as a professional golfer is a bed of roses? Think again, or ask John McHenry about it. In his 12th year as a tour player, the Cork-man knows all about the thorns that hide beneath the rose petals and, yet, it would be hard to find a golfer with a greater work ethic or a more positive outlook.

Yesterday, on the practice range at The Oxfordshire, McHenry continued the quest for a magic formula. Behind him, Nick Bradley, a former coach at Mount Juliet, analysed his swing for the umpteenth time with a hand-held minicam, while caddie John O'Reilly, on his bag for the past month, studied his newest master.

McHenry is waiting for his restructured swing to click into place. "I've been working with Nick since February and we've carried out some radical changes. I know I need to improve and that's why I had to change some elements of my swing. I'm working hard, but the consistency is just not there yet," he explained.

"I've been seeing Nick in London most Mondays, and things have started to go fine up to Thursday or Friday . . . but as the tournament goes on, my game starts to deteriorate more and more and I start to creep back to my old bad habits," he added.

A case in point came in last week's French Open where, after finally managing to manoeuvre into a position for a good pay-day, he finished with rounds of 76-78 and plummeted down the field.

McHenry missed eight straight cuts up to his two most recent events, the Italian and the French, where he at least survived to the weekend. But the financial rewards haven't been overflowing. McHenry lies in a lowly 193rd in the European Order of Merit with £2,135 in prize-money and, still, he can take some solace from last year when he hadn't earned a penny until his appearance in the Murphy's Irish Open. He'd literally got down on his hands and knees to beg for a sponsor's invite to that event and won enough (£53,996 for equal-third place) to regain his tour card for the season.

This time around, he would prefer to avoid the need for such heroics. "The season really starts in earnest this week," he said. "There is a string of big money tournaments over the next month and I'm playing in them all. I don't like going out to venues and not being around to play at the weekends, but I'm working hard to prove my worth and I feel that I'm making progress. I just have to find some confidence."

McHenry is used to fighting for his career. Three years ago he had to write off the entire season when he broke a small bone in his hand. Typically, he was on the range at the time, in Italy, and it was impossible for him to even hold a club. That problem has been overcome and now it's a case of putting in four good rounds. "I'm under pressure all the time," he admitted, "but I know I am getting there."