Dou taking aim at an upswing

Aspiring Chinese golfer "Marty" Dou Zecheng is determined to turn the corner following a rough run in his rookie campaign on the PGA Tour.

The 21-year-old from Henan province has made only two cuts in 12 tournaments this season as he struggles to find his footing against the game's elite.

Dou returns to action at this week's Valero Texas Open following a three-week hiatus, and with his father on hand to provide moral support, he's eager to relaunch his season with a strong showing at TPC San Antonio.

"It feels like this (lean spell) is necessary for a person who wants to succeed," said Dou.

"In times like this, and in the long run, I think it will be beneficial to know what it is like to fail and learn how to get it back in the future. It's all an experience.

"Since the season started, it feels like I wanted to change too much in my game. I didn't play well after earning my card from the Web.com Tour and started to miss cuts.

"I then began to doubt myself if I could actually play on the PGA Tour or if what I was doing was good enough.

"I started changing my swing and equipment, which didn't help matters. I'm trying to find my way back and stick to what I did well previously.

"I need to start trusting myself more, and one of the things that I have focused on over the last few weeks has been where the ball would go instead of focusing on the swing."

A product of the PGA Tour Series-China, where he won the 2016 order of merit, Dou went on to become the first Chinese to win on the Web.com Tour last year.

He triumphed at the Digital Ally Open in Kansas City, shooting a third-round 61 en route to a historic victory.

This year, results have been indifferent, with his best finish a tied-55th at the Pebble Peach Pro-Am.

However, Dou, who first picked up a golf club aged 6 when he lived in Vancouver, is not overly concerned.

"I can feel my form is coming back. If it comes, I know I can get on a streak," he said.

"I'm aiming for two or three solid weeks, and I think it's pretty close.

"I'm focused at getting better. It's a tough position, but I don't want to think too much about my swing or equipment.

"I'm very focused on getting the confidence back up and hitting good shots. I've got a lot of friends who keep reminding me about what has brought me to this stage.

"My dad is also confident about my game and is telling me I just need time to get used to playing on a new tour. When I started out on the Web.com Tour, I initially didn't play well too."

Dou has also found inspiration following the strong run by compatriot Li Haotong, who won in Dubai earlier this year.

Li played in two World Golf Championships events and looked right at home in his Masters debut two weeks ago.

"Haotong is our first world top-50 Chinese player, so that's pretty special," said Dou.

"Knowing that someone like him can do it is encouraging. It's good to see that golf in China is growing and I know I can do it as well."