Qatar Masters Golf: In-form Paul Lawrie hits the front in Qatar

Published on Sunday 5 February 2012 00:00

PAUL Lawrie is looking to bridge a 13-year gap as he goes into the final round of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters with a one-stroke lead.

Lawrie was the second winner of the title in 1999 – and followed it by becoming Open champion at Carnoustie that July. Now, in an event cut to 54 holes because of strong winds, the 43-year-old Scot stands eight under par after a superb second-round 67. That included a one-stroke penalty on the tenth green after he dropped his ball on his marker – amazingly for the second week running. “I’d never done it in my life – 20 years on Tour – but last week in Abu Dhabi I was lucky because my caddie saw it and said the marker never moved,” he said. “This time I wasn’t sure and [senior referee] Andy McFee said I had to be 100 per cent sure. I wasn’t watching and you guys didn’t have it on the telecast, so you’ve got to take the penalty and kick on.”

It meant a par 5 rather than birdie there, but he then picked up shots on the 11th, 16th and long 18th. The added incentive for Lawrie, currently 78th in the rankings, is that victory would lift him not only into the 64-man field for the Accenture World Match Play in Arizona later this month, but also back into the game’s top 50 and in with a great chance of earning a return to The Masters in April. He last played at Augusta in 2004.

Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts is second after a 68, with Swede Peter Hanson (69) and Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez (67) a stroke back. Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and American John Daly had led after starting with 66 and 67, but Fernandez-Castano did not have a single birdie in a 75 that dropped him to three under, while Daly’s 73 left him in a nine-way tie for seventh and part of a group which also included Sergio Garcia, England’s David Lynn and Anthony Wall and also Lawrie’s compatriot Marc Warren.

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donsmalc

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 08:00 PM

He won it. Great news of a fellow Deenie.

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boston sports fan

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 07:26 PM

It's wonderful to see that Paul Lawrie won this event. He's been looking good for a few weeks now. Hopefully this season will continue to find him in contention at many events.

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