Nick Dougherty was born on May 24th, 1982 in Liverpool, England. He was an excellent amateur from a young age and was helped a lot by Nick Faldo. He won the 1999 World Boys Championship, played in the 2001 Walker Cup and turned pro later that year. He was Rookie of the Year in 2002.

He then made his break through winning the 2005 Caltex Masters beating Colin Montgomerie in the final round. Since his victory Dougherty has had many high finishes. 2006 was a disappointing season as he struggled with his game. At one point he missed 10 consecutive cuts.