Ireland’s Peter Lawrie continues to grow in confidence after playing all four rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Lawrie, 30 was headed for Kuala Lumpur and this week’s Maybank Malaysian Open after a final round 70 for a three under par tally on the Emirates course.
The Dubliner played the final round in the company of long-time good friend Damien McGrane, and with the Co. Meath golfer shooting a 76 to slip to three-over par.
Peter Lawrie playing his bunker shot at the last on the final day of the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
McGrane is also heading to Malaysia but as the then eighth reserve however with a number of players to come out of the co-sanctioned event he believes by the time he arrives in the capital he should be close to first reserve.
The pair ended their round at 11.20am and just 13 minutes short of four hours but without Scotland’s Richie Ramsay who was a non-starter at level par after coming down with an illness and a high fever.
The Irish duo walked from the course 42 minutes before fellow Irishman and World No. 1 Rory McIlroy commenced his round.
Lawrie, who had made the halfway cut last week in Qatar and then shot a 66 to finish third in last Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Invitational, was three under par with three birdies after 11 holes but then finished bogey, birdie and bogey at 18.
Peter Lawrie putting out for bogey at the final hole on the last day of the 2015 Dubai Desert Classic. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
At the penultimate hole he holed a 15-foot birdie putt but didn’t fully commit to his drive at the last and hitting a tree from where he was forced to chip out.
Lawrie’s third shot then hit the green but rolled into a back bunker (see photograph) from where he splashed out to some five feet and rolled in the bogey putt.
“It always leaves a sour taste in your mouth when you walk off with a bogey, but then it reminds me to do things correctly,” said Lawrie.
“It was a just poor tee shot and overall I played lovely tee-to-green so very pleased with the game in now heading to Malaysia.
“It was good also to play with Damien as we do get on so well, so it was a good Sunday morning’s golf walking the course with him.”
Lawrie is slowly turning around an indifferent period in his career as evident by rounds of 70, 68, 73 and 73 in Doha, his 66 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai rounds of 73, 69, 73 and 70.
“I can look back on my two tournaments in the Middle East with some satisfaction while I was really pleased with my 66 a week ago in Abu Dhabi, so it’s good to be now going to a familiar tournament stop like the Malaysian Open, and a golf course I know reasonably well, with some renewed confidence,” he said.
“And really I’ve done well before around the K L Country Club course so I’m very much looking forward to my week.
“I’ve sought an invitation for the following week’s Thailand Masters so hopefully that will come through this week but then there’s always a top-five finish that would qualify me for the tournament.”
In fact, Lawrie’s last biggest pay cheque was secured in the rain-shortened 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open when he earned Euro 33,569 for his share of 11th place, and also at the Kuala Lumpur GC.
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