Harrogate’s John Parry ready to contend again after taking ‘big step in the right direction’

But Parry, who won the Vivendi Classic six years ago, believes his 10th-place finish was a “big step in the right direction”.

He has moved close to a top 400 spot in the world rankings and lies 78th in the Race to Dubai standings.

Parry had been in contention throughout the Made in Denmark tournament - won by fellow Englishman David Horsey - but shot a six on the par-4 18th in Sunday’s final round to drop out of a share of second place.

He commented: “It’s nice to be up the top of the leaderboard, contending for titles.

“Since my game has turned around, the team have discussed the importance of being in contention on a more regular basis, which I believe will transpire into a few more wins.

“This was a big step in the right direction and gives me a nice boost for the remaining events.

“I’ve had other close results since the Vivendi, but certainly over the past 18 months this was my best chance. I put myself in contention over all four rounds, with consistent golf, so I’m happy with that.”

Parry had been among the front-runners in Farsø after shooting opening rounds of 66 and 65 to reach nine under par at the halfway stage, three shots behind leader Horsey.

He made four birdies in a two under par round on in Saturday as he played alongside Horsey in the final pairing.

But four bogeys and the final-hole double bogey in Sunday’s closing round put paid to Parry’s title aspirations as several of the leading pack found the going tough.

Parry shot 20 birdies across the four days, his gain on par halved by 10 bogeys.

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“I’m naturally a bit disappointed not to win, when I really feel I had a shout,” he added

“My aim was to birdie 18 to put the pressure on Dave. I expected, given the lie, that the ball would want to go left, but it actually shot straight right.

“I’m happy I went for it and one shot here or there would have been a different story.

“The course was quite short and [the weather] wasn’t as breezy as it normally is. I’ve been playing well all year, just not holing enough putts, but after a lot of good work in the three-week break, it was nice to see some putts dropping.”

Parry heads to the Czech Masters in Prague this week, and is hopeful of a return to the top of the leaderboard in the coming weeks.

The world No 406 added: “There are some courses to come that really suit my game. I’m in the Czech Republic this week and I love this course.

“Then I have the KLM, where again I feel like I can shoot low, then the Dunhill Links where I’ve always done well.

“I’ve just got to do what I did in Denmark and put myself in position, if I do that then I’m confident of taking my chance.

“I’m excited for the remainder of the year and already looking forward to 2016 season, knowing I will be back in all the big events.”