Scotland’s Paul Lawrie has celebrated official confirmation of a return to the European Ryder Cup with a resounding four shot victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The 43-year-old Lawrie shot a final-round 68 to finish with a 16-under 272 total for his second tour victory of the year and the eighth of his career on the PGA National Course at Gleneagles.
Lawrie commenced the final round leading by a shot and at one stage late in his round moved five clear of his rivals.
Paul Lawrie cements his return to the European Ryder Cup with victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship. (Photo - Stuart Adams/www.golftourimages.com)
The win is Lawrie’s second Tour success this season and the eighth of his career.
Lawrie also became the first Scot in the history of the Tour to win three of the four biggest events on Scottish soil – 1999 British Open and 2001 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – and with just success in the Scottish Open remaining.
“It feels pretty good to be Johnnie Walker champion and it’s been probably one of the best ball-striking weeks of my career,” he said.
“But then I putted pretty poorly and shot four under shows just how well I have been striking the ball and I’ve also been hitting a bit longer this week and that has helped.”
However more important to Lawrie was official confirmation of his return to the European Team.
Lawrie now has the distinction of enjoying the second longest period since making his Ryder Cup debut in 1999 at Brookline and heading now to Medinah in Chicago later next month.
Ireland’s Christy O’Connor Jnr has the longest period of 14 years after competing in the 1975 European Team for Laurel Valley in Pennsylvania but then making his only other appearance in the 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry in England.
“Confidence-wise the last six weeks has not been easy and I have not played as well as I did at the start of the year,” said Lawrie.
“But by getting the Ryder Cup situation out of the way I have played really well and won the tournament, and if you are not going to be the most confident golfing going to the Ryder Cup you are going to struggle.
“However Rory (McIlroy) winning the PGA Championship is a huge lift for the team and for a European to win the last Major is massive.
“So I will be going to my second Ryder Cup playing nicely and hitting it lovely and I’m looking forward to it.”
And after cementing his place in Jose Maria Olazabal’s team, Lawrie is setting his focus on finishing top-five on the European money list with his best season being sixth in 1999 and the year he captured the British Open.
“Once I was confirmed for the Ryder Cup team my goal was to finish top-five in the Race to Dubai and anytime you win a tournament this late in the year you are going to have a chance to jump up the money list,” he said.
“So this is a huge win for me in that regard and to do it in front of my home crowd is very satisfying.”
Lawrie’s victory saw him move up five places to seventh on the money list with earnings this year of Euro 1,637,131.
Brett Rumford (68) of Australia was second at 12-under par and securing his best finish since he was runner-up to Edoardo Molinari in the Glenegles event two years ago.
Holland’s Maarten Lafeber (69), France’s Romain Wattel (72) and Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed (65) shared third place on 11 under par.
