At the European Open in The K Club last year, the old Gary Murphy was involved in a fire fight with his putter. He was playing good golf but averaging 30-plus strokes a round for the competition. Walking up the eighth by the river Liffey Murphy parted the fairway with a drive and hit his approach eight feet wide of the pin.
"I'd missed about five puts in a row," he says. "I'm over the putt and my caddy just can't look at it any more, so he turns to look into the river. In the river here are two swans. They both have their heads stuck in the water. I missed the putt. My caddy turns to me. 'Look they didn't even want to watch either'," he says.
Murphy finished 29th. If he'd putted his 2003 season average he would have won the tournament.
His changed attitude means he can joke about it. After two seasons on the Challenge Tour, he went back to qualifying school in 2002 for the sixth time and won back his European Tour card. This season, his career has begun to improve and he faces into the Dubai Desert Classic on March 6th knowing his game is in order. The new Murphy has finished in the prize money in each of his three starts so far.
"I read some Bob Rotella stuff. I think the book was called Who moved my cheese. It was a Ladybird psychology book. Basically, you move on and don't dwell on stuff. You're in the bunker, well hit it out of the bunker. Golf is sometimes weird.
"You're trying something all day and you can't get it right, then the next day it works and you're not even trying. I'm more experienced, believe in myself a lot more now and I know I don't have to squeeze things out. Going back for my card was surprisingly easy. I didn't think about the enormity of the thing."
The Kilkenny 30-year-old has a dry, sharp wit and is disparaging about many things, largely himself despite his obvious talent at soccer as well as golf. Playing with the local Evergreen soccer club, Murphy was invited for an Irish trial at under-13 and under 15-levels. A midfielder or sweeper, he had talent. But as often he was arguing with his team-mates as his opponents. But even then the work ethic was alive.
"Being from Kilkenny it was fairly hard to get recognised if you weren't playing in Dublin. I'd been on an under-13 squad that went on a coaching course to King's Hospital in Dublin. I got picked on the side and thought this is cool, I'll stick with it. That summer I didn't get picked for the 15s but did for the Irish under-18 golf team. I decided to give the soccer a miss."
Murphy has also changed from orthodox to cross-handed for his putting. The last time he played the European Tour he was 11th or 12th in driving accuracy and 78th on the putting list. Something had to give.
"I changed to cross-handed from orthodox the day before Portugal (Qualifying School). If you don't putt well, you won't compete. You get Golf Week and look at the top 10. Five of them will be in the top putting stats.
"I tried the belly putter for a while," he says waving his hands in the air, "and I was like Zoro with it. All over the place."
There is optimism about Murphy now. He has a main sponsor in ACC Bank and two weeks ago was engaged to Elaine Kelly, who will travel on tour with him. Her aunt is married to Des Smyth and Barry Reddan, who played for Ireland, is her uncle.
"The K Club last year was a watershed," says Murphy. "A different attitude, a different way of thinking about the game changed me around. The problem before was I set unrealistic goals for myself, like wanting to be on the Ryder Cup team in two years' time. That was part of being young and a bit green. Sure I've set goals for myself this year. Am I telling you what they are? Nope"
With €30,865 from three tournaments and placed 60th in the Order of Merit, he is already a long way from the Challenge Tour, where he spent two seasons. "I won as much money on two events on the main tour as I did in 17 on the Challenge tour," he says.
Eighth in the South African Open, 13th in the Dunhill Championship and 38th in the Singapore Masters, he is at home with his putter, his clubs. Again.
