Gary Boyd is feeling inspired by the recent European Tour resurgence of his friend James Morrison, and the Englishman believes he is turning a corner of his own after he took a share of the first round lead at the Swiss Challenge presented by Association Suisse de Golf.
The 28 year old announced his arrival in the highest echelons of the game when he finished 50th in The 2010 Race to Dubai following a runner-up finish at the Czech Open and a top five at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but has since suffered a steady decline in form.
Playing this week on an invite, however, the former Challenge Tour winner is brimful of confidence and believes a new fitness regime and a change in coach have put him back on the road to success.
A five under par opening round 66 in Lucerne will do nothing to hinder those beliefs and, having watched his close friend and compatriot Morrison win at the Open de España four weeks ago, Boyd is ready to put himself in contention for a second career Challenge Tour title and begin the climb back to the top.
I feel my game is there to go out and win now
“I’ve only played twice this year and I’ve been lucky and thankful to get the invitations,” said Boyd, who holed a 40 foot putt at the 15th for one of his six birdies at Golf Sempachersee.
“But I played well both times and I’ve been knocking on the door - I just need to hole a few more putts. I feel my game is there to go out and win now, where 18 months ago it really wasn’t, it was pretty awful to be honest.
“When you’re hitting it 50 or 60 yards off line from the tee and you feel like you’re the red arrows out there, it’s not a nice place to be. I wasn’t enjoying playing golf to be honest, every time I saw a shot go wayward I was wondering why. It was a big technical issue and the confidence goes from that.
Gary Boyd at the 2010 Czech Open, where he missed out on a play-off
“I had a re-evaluation over the winter and changed coach and did more fitness work and it seems to be paying off. It was a tough two years where I wasn’t enjoying it, and I’m not the only one to have been through it. Guys like Henrik Stenson have bounced back and my good friend James (Morrison) struggled for a while but has come back from it.
“I feel like I’ll be a stronger player after it because I’m still quite young at 28, and I have a lot of experience behind me. I’m looking forward to the future because I do feel like my game is back to where it should be.”
Jack Senior was the other man tied for the lead on five under at a sun-kissed Sempachersee and - much like his compatriot Boyd, who had his best finish of 2014 here - he enjoyed a strong week at this very venue last year, finishing in a share of seventh place.
In his third season on the Challenge Tour, the former Walker Cup player believes he is settling into life on tour and thinks that a mentality shift is key to his increase in confidence, having claimed a top five at the recent Made in Denmark Challenge.
“I took positives from that week in Denmark,” said the 26 year old. “I hit the golf ball fantastic all four days and putted really well for the first three days too, but it went a bit cold on the final day - it was a brutal day though.
“I think it’s such a learning experience out here. Two years ago I had a year where I played really poorly and got down with my game and wasn’t enjoying it.
I have started to enjoy myself more... You get to know the guys on tour and there’s a bit of camaraderie
“Then I started working with a psychologist at the start of the year – I never thought I’d need one to be honest – but it’s amazing when you go there and sit down and analyse what you’re thinking out on the golf course.
“You just have to keep committing to the lines with every shot. If you commit to the lines that’s the key. That’s what I’ve learned over the last year or so.
“I have started to enjoy myself more too. You get to know the guys on tour and there’s a bit of camaraderie. It’s not being accepted as such, but it’s more like you know the ropes.
“I’ve played here the last two years so I know what to expect when I come here and where everything is. That’s so important, and then you start to feel more comfortable with the surroundings and that can only result in good golf.”
There were seven players one shot off the pace on four under par, including winner of April’s Barclays Kenya Open, 20 year old South African Haydn Porteous, and two-time Challenge Tour winner Antti Ahokas of Finland, also hoping for a resurgence after a period of disappointing form.
