Past champion Paul Lawrie feels 55 should be cut off for Open exemption

Three under for the last eight holes was Paul Lawrie's best finish since his foot injury. Picture: Getty.

Reduced from 65 to 60 in 2008, the age of exemption afforded to former winners in the Open Championship was called into question by one blogger after all three 50-plus players in the field – Lawrie, Tom Lehman and Darren Clarke – missed the cut in the 148th edition at Royal Portrush last week.

While acknowledging the fact that Tom Watson came agonisingly close to claiming his sixth success in the game’s oldest major at the age of 59 at Turnberry in 2009, the blogger proposed that the R&A cut the exemption again to 50.

“My take has always been that 60 is slightly too old,” said Lawrie, who only turned 50 earlier this year. “The only one who has bucked the trend on that is Tom Watson. I think everyone felt sorry for Stewart Cink winning that week. Tom should have won and he didn’t.

“I say it probably should come down a little. I think you can still be competitive when you’re 50 and it came down from 65 to 60. I think if they settled on 55, that’s fair enough. If you’ve had until 55 in this tournament, I think you’ve had a fair enough go at it and there’s very few players that are competitive over 55.

“[Bernhard] Langer and Watson are the only two I can think of who have a realistic chance of winning a tournament like that over that age. But the R&A are not bothered about it because they are not contacting champions to say that the age is coming down.”

The Aberdonian was speaking after signing for a second-round 69 at Lytham to sit handily-placed on one under at the halfway stage, with American Wes Short jnr out in front after carding two 67s for a six-under total. “I’m a little bit happier than when I came off the course last night,” said Lawrie (laughing), referring to the fact he’d undone some good earlier work by finishing bogey-bogey for a 70. “I was raging. In fact, that’s as angry as I’ve ever been,” he added.

In his second circuit, Lawrie covered the last eight holes in three under – easily his strongest finish to a round since he started playing again after being sidelined with a foot problem. He was delighted about that but “gutted” to hit a marshal at the tenth hole. “We didn’t shout fore as we all thought it was way over his head, but it was my ball and my responsibility so no excuses. I always shout, so feel awful,” he admitted.

A big weekend here and it could be job done for the Scot in claiming a Champions Tour card for next season. He has only managed to secure one invitation so far for a regular event on the US-based circuit and needs to climb from 86th to 54th or higher in the Charles Schwab Cup standings to get a full campaign in 2020. “I’ve enjoyed it,” he said of his senior career so far. “I’d like to play more in America. I don’t think I’m getting a fair crack at the whip over there, but I’ve spoken to the two guys that are here and they are going to try to get me a few invites.

“I only need two or three invites and I’ve got a chance of keeping my card, really. Happy with a couple of invites, that would be great. But, if not, it’s up for me to go to Tour School and get a card that way. Of course, I can play good at the weekend here and get a card here. That is Plan A.”

As Colin Montgomerie bounced back from a double-bogey 6 at the sixth to also stay in contention in the $2 million event on two under, three-time winner Bernhard Langer moved ominously up the leaderboard on the back of a 67. “After missing a very short putt on the first hole, I had it going in the middle of the round, but then made a horrible bogey due to a total lapse on 17,” said the 61-year-old.

Short jnr leads by a shot from compatriot Scott Dunlap, with debutant Darren Clarke one futher back, while Gary Orr and Andrew Oldcorn made the cut on four and five over.