JOHN PARRY is back on the European Tour stage this week and his mere presence has filled him with plenty of confidence for the rest of the year.

The 28-year-old had 12 months to forget in 2014, missing 22 cuts in a row to drop well down the Race to Dubai rankings and leave him facing life back on the Challenge Tour.

But, despite failing to secure his card automatically, he somehow found his form again at Tour School in November when he finish tied fifth following six competitive rounds over the PGA Catalunya track.

That earned him his playing privileges for a further year and the Harrogate golfer feels the whole experience of what, effectively, is a high pressured shoot-out in Spain has given him the perfect grounding for the next ten months.

“I couldn’t wait to get going again,” said Parry. “Last season was a tough one, but I feel I learned a lot and have grown as a golfer. I worked really hard in Dubai before Q-School and was able to reap the benefits from that.

“To get ready for the season, I returned to Dubai to practice at the Els Club and that went very well. I felt my putting let me down last season so this is something I have really focused on and I have also put a new putter in my bag, which will hopefully help me to shoot lower through 2015.”

Parry was not involved in last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, won dramatically by Gary Stal on the final day, but he teed off in the opening round at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters yesterday.

The action at Doha started a day earlier than normal Tour events and regardless of where he ends up after the final round on Saturday, Parry is satisfied with where his game is at the moment.

His first outing of the year was at the South African Open a couple of weeks ago when he claimed a healthy cheque for finishing tied 33rd at the Glendower Golf Club in Johannesburg.

On that occasion he was well placed for a shot at the title after shooting opening rounds of 70 and 69, bogey-free, only to fall out of contention after the cut. He was not disheartened, though, and feels in a strong place mentally.

The North Yorkshireman said: “There were a lot of positives to take from that week, especially with my ball striking. I think if I had made a few more putts, I could have been at the top of the leaderboard and in real contention.

“Overall I am happy with how I played that week and I’ve been looking forward to just getting back out there (in Qatar).

“I played well in South Africa and was unfortunate not to challenge for the title. However, I have been working hard since then to be ready for this week and would just like to thank Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Dubai for allowing me to use their excellent facilities to prepare.”

Graeme Storm’s disappointing start to the year continued. After missing the cut in Abu Dhabi last week, the Hartlepool golfer is in danger of suffering a similar fate this morning. He finished on four-over yesterday with a four-over 76.