Scotland’s Paul Lawrie has bowed to recent pressure and turned to working at this week PGA Championship with renowned sports psychologist, Dr. Bob Rotella.
Lawrie joined the likes of fellow Major winners and Europeans, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke spending time ahead of the season’s final Major, and dubbed ‘Glory’s Last Shot’, with Rotella.
And USA Ryder Cup captain, Davis Love 111 has been working with Rotella since 1986.
Paul Lawrie has began working again with Bob Rotella. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“I had a chat with Bob last night and I’ve just had 30 minutes with him this morning,” said Lawrie from the verandah of the Kiawah Island clubhouse as a further storm hit the course.
“He came with some good stuff, as you can imagine but then every golfer is same.”
However the main concern for competitors this week will be the weather.
Up until midday on the eve of the Major there had been five weather stoppages before a first shot has been fired in anger and on the course lying just south of the island fortress of Fort Sumter, and the scene of the start of the American Civil War.
And if the persistent storms are not enough, there’s alligator infested ponds including a six-foot long ‘gator guarding the 17th green plus biting mosquitoes.
Lawrie took a snap of the six-foot long reptile during his final practice round and was heading back to the hotel yesterday (WED) afternoon to put the picture on his website.
“I had intended to play 18 holes on Tuesday but had to come back in after nine holes and due to a couple more storms, we didn’t get back out there,” he said.
“Then we played the back nine this morning. The course is very good and similar to last week’s venue in Ohio where you have to find the fairways and try and keep it out of the rough.
“The greens are a bit slower but that’s what you kind of expect at this time of year.”
It is a welcome return for Lawrie to the PGA Championship having last contested the event a decade ago while he and Alastair Forsyth represented Scotland here in the 2003 World Cup.
He said: “I don’t remember that much of the course. I can remember the 17th and who can forget 17, and that’s a real golf hole.
“I played off the back tee this morning hitting rescue club to the flag at 232 yards. There’s a decent size alligator in the water guarding the green, and I was taking pictures of it.
“He looks a fair size, too. There were two in there yesterday but we just saw the one today.
“The 18th is a lot different as the green there now wasn’t there before.
“But from what I’ve seen so it’s a good challenge but if it blows it is going to be a whole lot harder, and if it stays like this, even though it has been wet, it’s scoreable.
“So this year has just been great for me to get back into the top-50 in the world and to be playing the Majors and big events again. It’s where you want to be.”
