Peter Lawrie’s 25,000 kilometre round trip to Australia to hold onto his Tour card looks rosier thanks to two PGA Tour based players, a number of his European Tour colleagues and a England-born caddy.

Lawrie ended a miserable run of six missed cuts in succession and muscle his way to a share of 21^st place heading to the closing two rounds of the Perth International.

The Dubliner capped his round at the fourth hole when after missing the fairway he played a brilliant punched 7-iron shot under tree branches to within six inches of the green and then chipped-in from 18 feet for the first of three birdies.

Peter Lawrie’s 2014 Tour card looking rosier thanks to two PGA Tour players, a handful of European Tour colleagues and a Bournemouth-born caddy. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

However for a second day running Lawrie came unstuck at the par four 17^th and in also finding the same greenside bunker on the Lake Karrinyup course in suburban Perth.

“There’s hardly any sand in that bunker and it caught me out for a second straight day but overall I’m delighted,” he said.

“I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders coming here this week and it’s a great relief to finally make a cut given I probably have missed three or four over the past few months by just a stroke.”

The Dubliner arrived in the world’s remotest capital city lying 114^th on the Race to Dubai and four places shy of holding onto his Tour card.

However Lawrie’s first stroke of luck was learning the European Tour is removing from the current top-110 two ‘affiliate members’ in South African Tim Clark and Sweden’s Carl Pettersson as they have not contested the minimum of 13 events to retain automatic 2014 membership.

So that means that at the end of play in Perth tomorrow night (Local time Sunday) the leading 112 players will be exempt for the 2014 Race To Dubai tour.

As well, three players lying close to 112^th in the current 107^th ranked South African Dawie Van Der Walt, Frenchman Alexander Levy who is 108^th and a second South African in James Kingston at 111^th each missed the Perth cut.

Also Australia’s 112^th ranked Richard Green bizarrely elected not to contest the event.

In essence it means that Lawrie should move up four places except there is five players ahead of him on the leader board who are behind the Irishman on the money list including tournament leader, Peter Hedblom of Sweden.

Hedblom, who is ranked 179^th on the money list, posted a second round 69 to lead by two shots on seven under par.

And also assisting Lawrie’s cause this week is that the caddy to local Perth golfing hero, Brett Rumford had been given the week off as with Rumford being home this week he arranged for his brother to caddy for him.

It prompted Lawrie to arrange for Rumford’s regular Bournemouth-born caddy, John Roberts to fill in and Lawrie could not be happier.  Of course, we here at www.golfbytourmiss.com know Ronnie as ‘Super caddy’ but for those not familiar he’s named ‘Ronnie’ as he is the spitting image of comedian Ronnie Corbert.

That aside, Ronnie interrupted a holiday on Portugal’s sun-splashed Algarve and fly halfway around the world to help Lawrie retain his Tour card.

“Ronnie caddied for me a few years back and we’ve always been good friends,” said Lawrie.

“He’s a great caddy having won twice this year with Brett while he had great success with Simon Dyson at the start of the decade on the Challenge Tour.

“So I have to thank Ronnie as he’s got me where I am now in this tournament.

“I came here with a lot of pressure on my shoulders but Ronnie’s been very positive and very in the present and that’s helped me greatly so I’m very pleased.

“But then Ronnie and I know we’ve only done half the job and we now need to make the most the week.”

Ulsterman Michael Hoey shares 21^st place with Lawrie while Waterville’s David Higgins also kept alive his prospects also of holding onto his card with the 115^th ranked player adding a 72 to be lying in a share of 45^th place at one over par.