Brian putts serious illness behind him to reign in Spain

EARLY in 1998, Enfield's Brian Davis lay in a hospital bed in Dubai fighting for his life after contracting an acute bout of chickenpox.

Now, having chalked up his maiden victory on the European Tour at the Spanish Open in April, 25-year-old Davis is recognised as one of the continent's hottest young golfers.

This remarkable transformation did not come easily, as Davis explains: 'I was in hospital for a week, then I had to take two months off golf. It was another year before I could get the mental side right and start playing to a standard that I could accept.

'My golf was terrible. I had injuries as well and I lost a sponsor. All these things build up and suddenly you start to think about losing your tour card. At the start of last season I made £3,000 in the first three months and things were looking bad. My confidence was gone.'

Davis, whose family moved to Enfield five years ago, believes the turning point came when he played with Tiger Woods in the Deutsche Bank Open in Germany last year.

'I happened to be playing okay that week and I was drawn to play with Tiger,' he said. 'I learned so much that day. I realised how much harder I had to work and that I was focusing on all the wrong things. I was always thinking 'I want to do' rather than 'I'm going to do'.

Davis, who began to play golf seriously aged ten at East Herts Golf Club to which he is still attached, joined the European Tour in 1997 and won Rookie of the Year before his slump in 1998.

After the confidence he gained in Germany he spent a few months in Florida working with coach Tony Ziegler.

Signs of life came in January when he finished tenth in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg.

But the real breakthrough came in Girona in Spain where he shot a four-round total of 274 (14 under-par), winning by three shots from Austrian Markus Brier with Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia trailing in his wake.

He said: 'The win has made a difference to the way I approach everything because now I know that I can do it. My whole attitude now is to go for everything. You keep your foot on the accelerator and accept that you will make mistakes.

'The big boys never worry about getting into trouble and making a double bogey, they go for every shot. Some of the shots I took on in Spain, like long irons over the water, I wouldn't have had the confidence to go for last year.'

His Iberian triumph also brought the small matter of a cheque for £98,000 but money does not motivate Davis.

He added: 'You could give me all the money in the world but it would not satisfy me. I just want to play with the best week in, week out and to be in contention. To have a chance to win and to get that adrenaline rush, to me that's everything.'

Two weeks ago, Davis returned to Germany for the 2000 Deutsche Bank Open (where he finished 12th) and remembered the round with Woods that turned his career around.

Incidentally, the American won that 1999 tournament, beginning an incredible streak of form which saw him win six successive events. Maybe a bit of Davis' magic rubbed off on Tiger that day too.