In the six years since securing his maiden European Tour title in the Trophée Hassan II, Rhys Davies’ form has, by the Welshman’s own admission, fluctuated between “the good, the bad and the ugly”.
But as he prepares to return to the scene of that breakthrough victory for the first time next week, Davies is hopeful that the best years of his career are still ahead of him.
Having followed up his win at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam with a trio of runner-up finishes in the space of two months, the then-25 year old was even being touted as a potential candidate for Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
In the end he was at the Celtic Manor Resort to witness Europe’s thrilling victory over their American counterparts – but only as a member of Captain Colin Montgomerie’s support staff. And whilst the experience gave him a small taste of what it was like to be part of a Ryder Cup team, next time he vowed he would be in the thick of the action, rather than watching on from the sidelines.
Unfortunately for Davies, a subsequent loss of form and confidence – particularly with his putter, which had hitherto been his most potent weapon – resulted in the even greater loss of his European Tour card in 2012.
Having dropped down to the European Challenge Tour, Davies set about restoring his self-belief – and wounded pride – and eventually returned to the winners’ enclosure in the 2015 Turkish Airlines Challenge; before a second victory of the season, in the Challenge de España, guaranteed a return to The European Tour.
So far this season, results on the top tier have been solid rather than spectacular – Davies has made three cuts from five outings in the Race to Dubai – but a return to Rabat could prove the catalyst for a sustained upturn in fortunes.
He said: “A lot has happened since my win, I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs over the past six years but the memories are still fairly fresh. You want to keep the good thoughts at the forefront of your mind and let go of the negative thoughts, but that’s sometimes easier said than done.
It’s been the good, the bad and the ugly over the last few years, but you’ve got to keep believing that the best is still to come.
Rhys Davies
Davies was certainly at his best at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam on March 21, 2010, as he overturned Louis Oosthuizen’s two-shot overnight lead with a closing round of 66 to the South African’s 70.
Davies’ achievement was put into context by the fact that, just four months later, Oosthuizen won The Open Championship by a mere seven shots.
It is little wonder, therefore, that Davies believes it was the first time in his career that he had found that holy grail of sporting endeavour – being “in the zone”.
He said: “My mental resolve and my attitude were incredible all week, especially over the weekend. I remember feeling really resilient, and like nothing was going to faze me. I can remember a few shots I hit, but what really stands out overall was my mental approach.
“Obviously you try to go out with the same attitude every time you play, but we’re not robots so it doesn’t always work out that way. But I often look back on that weekend as a real benchmark, and hopefully going back there can provide a spark. I’m sure the memories will start coming back, and with a bit of luck I can have a good week and kick on from there.”
