Old Course magic brings out the best in Lawrie

Published on Friday 5 October 2007 00:44

HAVING concocted a blistering run of six under par in the six holes between the ninth and 14th at the Old Course yesterday, Paul Lawrie, the winner in 2001, spoke yesterday of how the majesty of St Andrews never failed to inspire him. Round in 66, six under par, the Aberdonian finished a stroke behind England's Steve Webster in the £2.5 million Alfred Dunhill Links thanks to his best start in relation to par at any event this year.

"The Old Course is one of those places where you walk down the first fairway and it just has a great feeling about it," enthused the Scot. "It's very special. It's certainly in my top five courses and probably my top three."

On a bright, mild day at the home of golf, Lawrie's enjoyment of the challenge posed by the ancient links was rewarded by a touch of magic in his putter and a thrilling blast with a utility club on the 618-yard, par-5 14th. After locating the fairway off the tee, the Scot still had 272 yards to reach the green. With the wind helping, his exquisite strike for albatross finished just a couple of feet shy of the pin.

Once he tapped in for an eagle 3, Lawrie felt at ease matching par over the closing holes, even though a huge drive set up another birdie opportunity from ten feet on the Road Hole. This time the putt grazed the edge of the cup. It was all very different from a modest start to the day when the Scot reeled off eight consecutive pars but missed on no fewer than six occasions from inside 15 feet.

His partner in the team competition, Martin Gilbert, the chief executive of Aberdeen Asset who plays off a handicap of 7 this week, made the point that Lawrie, like all professionals, can seem drained of all confidence when the putts won't drop. On the other hand, when a long one finds the cup - Lawrie holed for 2 from 20 feet on the par-3 11th - all is well with the world again.

At the 12th, the revived former Open champion pitched to 15 feet and holed the putt before making a 25 footer on the 13th. Now coached by Neil Marr at Meldrum House, Lawrie has started to eliminate the destructive hook from his game which cost him a chance of winning the Portuguese Open earlier this season.

"I don't think any player can ever say they've eliminated a particular shot, no matter how good a golfer," he cautioned. "But I didn't hit any today and I've not hit any for two or three weeks. I'm certainly hitting the ball a lot straighter and my statistics prove that the driving accuracy is so much better. I've been playing well for a long time but just haven't been able to get the good play and the good putting together. That was the difference and this is my best start to a tournament in a long, long time."

Lawrie's return to form in St Andrews, incidentally, was the second occasion this summer when a member of the family had made a mark at the home of golf. Playing in the final of the Wee Wonders competition, Paul's son Michael, 8, finished sixth with a score of 77.

Winner of the silver medal for leading amateur at St Andrews in 1995, Webster's talent for the links game re-emerged at Carnoustie when he birdied the first three holes and reached the turn in 32. As if that wasn't enough, the Englishman added birdies at the 16th and 18th, two of the toughest holes in golf, to sign for 65. "It's always best to play this course when it's calm," he reflected. "The greens were perfect. I don't think I've broken 70 in this tournament before, so it was a breakthrough for me."

On a day of low scoring when some of the world's leading lights took advantage of the benign conditions at all three venues, Ernie Els and Luke Donald both posted 67s at Carnoustie while Nick Dougherty was the pick of the bunch at Kingsbarns on five under.