European Tour professional Tom Whitehouse points to the power of positive thinking as the key to kickstarting his season.

The 25-year-old Brummie had two top 12 finishes in Portugal and reckons the work he is putting in with sports psychologist John Pates is paying immediate dividends.

"I've been working with him for about a month and it's been fantastic, I'm really seeing the benefits," Whitehouse said.

"I've worked with psychologists before with the England team, but that was mostly off-the-course stuff. John is a bit different and it's really working.

"He works with the likes of Paul Broadhurst, Bradley Dredge and Stephen Gallacher. They are all playing really well, which tells you something.

"This is all about routines. Every shot I play, I try to go through the same routine and it really takes the pressure off the situation. You don't think about the shot or the pressure, you just think about the routine and stick to that. So far it's been fantastic."

Whitehouse is also benefitting from thinking about his game more positively. "When I come off the course, John is all about what I've done well, not what I've done wrong.

"He gets you to pick out all the good stuff from your round and only remember that. In the past I was always coming off thinking about the bad shots, the mistakes I've made.

"He told me to get a picture in my mind of a good shot I've played with every club in the bag and you know what? I couldn't do it. I could remember dozens of bad shots I had hit with every club. But now that's changing."

Whitehouse admits the improvements haven't come without hard work - and a little pain.

"When I first started it was giving me headaches, quite bad ones. He has you using images of what a good shot will look like, concentrating on the target. I was concentrating on it so hard I was getting headaches."

Whitehouse has had a two week break since his success in Portugal - last week there was no European event because of the Masters and this week he has not travelled to the China Open because he was on the reserve list and not guaranteed a place in the field.

"It's a long way to go and then not get in. It's frustrating because I was just starting to find some form - it's like a football club that's won a couple of games and then it's an international week.

"But it's given me a chance to practise and work more with John, who lives quite locally. People think you just go once and that's it, but it's not like that. It's an ongoing process and you have to keep working at it."

If he needs any extra motivation, Whitehouse may have got it from an unexpected meeting in Portugal.

"I was paying for my golf clubs at the airport and I was aware of someone beside me, about three inches away. I thought to myself who's this right up next to me, I turned round and it was Jack Nicklaus! I said: 'Hullo, Jack!'

"I introduced myself and we chatted for about 10 minutes, he was great. He was over there looking at a course for his design business. Only thing is, I never got him to sign anything. I've got a Jack Nicklaus fiver at home and if I'd got him to sign that, it would be worth a fortune!"

That was an opportunity missed, but if the psychology keeps paying dividends, Tom's fortune might not be too far away.