Nick Dougherty could not stop himself from laughing after the inevitable question came up following his victory in the BMW International Open in Germany.

The one-stroke win over Argentina's Rafa Echenique earned Dougherty a place in The Open at Turnberry.

Asked about his chances of now winning a major the 27-year-old from Liverpool just chuckled and said: "It's amazing how quickly the questions change.

"A few weeks ago people were asking me 'Are you going to get your form back?' and 'How are you going to work your way back to being one of the better players in Europe?' Now it's about majors. I love it."

Dougherty's slide since his mother died suddenly from a heart attack just after his Masters debut last year took him out of the world's top 100.

He failed to make it into the Ryder Cup, missed out on a return trip to Augusta and came up short during qualifying events for the US Open and Open as well.

But now he will be at Turnberry through a mini-Order of Merit that he did not even know much about until he was told he was in position to take one of the two spots on offer yesterday.

Having led the US Open two years ago, however, Dougherty does not rule out the possibility that he could be Britain's next major champion.

"People are always going on about experience but I believe that the new US Open champion Lucas Glover is a great example.

"I feel that if I keep doing what I am I'll have some chances down the line - and hopefully I'll take some of them.

"Last year was terrible for me in more ways than one. I've covered this and I hate going over it but I just collapsed after my mum died.

"My world turned upside down and it hit me like a ton of bricks. "In time, though, you start to heal. I collected myself and I realised that I have the potential to be a great player.

"Days like today are not a coincidence - I can certainly do this."

Dougherty had to hold off a late charge from Echenique, who in a dramatic finish sank a 243-yard three-iron for an albatross two on the closing hole.

Although the Argentine just missed out on a play-off his 27 on the back nine was a European Tour record.