Nick Dougherty will find form - Damian Taylor

Dougherty won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2007

Nick Dougherty's former coach Damian Taylor has backed the Lancashire golfer to regain his form after a disappointing run of results this year.

The 29-year-old Shaw Hill man has not won a tour event since clinching the 2009 BMW International Open.

Taylor coached Liverpool-born Dougherty to three wins on the European Tour.

"He was rookie of the year when he first came out and I'm sure he will add to the three wins he's had in the future," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It's a funny game. We might end up working together again, you never know.

"But, irrespective of who he's working with, I just hope he gets his form back and starts to get back into the winning circle again."

You hit all these good shots and you don't really give yourself any praise for that and as soon as you hit one bad shot you beat yourself up Damian Taylor

After five years in the top 50 in the European Tour order of merit, Dougherty slumped to 121st last year - and has not made a single halfway cut in this year's Race to Dubai in 13 attempts.

But Taylor, the son of 1985 world snooker champion Dennis, has also worked with Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke and Ian Woosnam, still backs him to come good again.

"Even if you hit one bad shot during a round of golf sometimes it does stick with you for a few holes," said Taylor.

"You hit all these good shots and you don't really give yourself any praise for that and as soon as you hit one bad shot you beat yourself up.

"I think that's what's happened with Nick. He's had a few bad rounds and he's got some bad baggage but, once he gets rid of that, he'll start to remember the good times again and get back to playing well.

"The good players tend to forget about the bad shots. They just push them away.

"He's a smashing lad and a Lancashire lad and I wish him all the best for the future."