HAVING revitalised Lee Westwood’s golf career, sports scientist Dr Steve McGregor has turned his attentions towards shaping Graeme Storm up for an overdue second title on the European Tour.

It is 18 months since Storm won the French Open and, after last season’s inconsistencies, there is a desire on his part to rekindle the sort of form that earned him his one and only Tour triumph.

In an attempt to do that, he turned to Dr McGregor at the start of December and has struck up a good relationship with both the respected fitness coach and, arguably, his highest profile client, Westwood.

Westwood, ranked tenth in the world rankings after working his way back into his best form following a new fitness programme, and the Hartlepool golfer prepared together ahead of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy.

Storm ended yesterday’s opening round on level par, but Westwood and Barnard Castle’s Rob Dinwiddie are well ahead on the leaderboard.

Both enjoyed rounds of five under par and are tied in fourth place. Dinwiddie dropped a shot on the par four fifth, but picked up four shots on the back nine to make his mark.

Storm, who had been in contention to win the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship before dropping to 15th on Sunday, is satisfied that the work he has been putting in with McGregor is improving his outlook on the sport.

“When I finished at Abu Dhabi last week it was the first time in a long time, probably since the French Open win, that I felt as if I could keep on playing for days,” said Storm. “I’ve missed that feeling and it’s great to have felt like that.

“The whole physical side of it is pretty new to me. I’m now 12st 9oz, I have lost a lot of weight and I feel like I’m in the best shape I have ever been as a golfer.

“It’s not just about the weight and the physical side, my posture has come into it and it’s incredible how differently it makes you feel.

“I only started with him (McGregor) four weeks ago and he’s been correcting my posture, not over the ball just when I’m walking and standing still.

“In every day life and on the course I have been slouching too much, I have been told.

Now when I’m walking the course I walk correctly and I feel far better, fitter.”

Dr McGregor and Storm’s golf coach Pete Cowen – who also used to teach Westwood – have got their heads together to come up with a programme for Storm and so far so good.

At the Doha Golf Club, Storm in only his second tournament of the season, having taken a ten-week break from competitive action following last November’s Volvo Masters, ended round two at the top of the leaderboard.

This year, though, it is not about trying to claim a place at Valderrama in the end of season showpiece, the top 60 on the Race to Dubai standings will compete in the $10m Dubai World Championship at the Earth Course.

And while that event is clearly in his sights, Storm is taking things week-by-week this time around, having publicly stated his intentions for the season in the past.

“I am setting targets but I can only afford to look at one tournament at a time,” said Storm, who will play in next week’s Dubai Desert Classic before heading to Kuala Lumpur for the Maybank Malaysian Open two weeks later. “It’s obviously in my thoughts that I would like to win another event, it’s seems a long time ago that I won in France.

“I didn’t really progress as I would have liked last season, it was a difficult year for me, but I still should have improved.

I don’t feel like I did. I already feel more confident and happy with the way the season has started. I feel fresher and more confident.”