Lawrie off to winning start in Spain

PAUL Lawrie laid down a useful marker in a Ryder Cup year as he battled to an opening-day victory over Sweden’s Peter Hanson in the World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin, nea Marbella.

The Aberdonian is on course to earn a place back on the biggest stage in team golf after a gap of 13 years under his own steam, but he overcame Hanson, a member of the winning European side at Celtic Manor two years ago, by displaying the sort of qualities Jose Maria Olazabal will be looking for from his two wildcard selections.

“Some match play ties you play great and get beat. The fact I struggled a bit and didn’t play as well as I could have but still won is a positive,” said Lawrie as he started his 500th event on the European Tour with 2 and 1 success .

The former Open champion, who beat Hanson into second place when he won the Qatar Masters for a second time in February, trailed for most of the match before turning the tide his way with a strong finish.

After squaring matters at the 13th, he won the 16th with a birdie to get his nose in front for the first time before closing the door with a 2 at the next, where he hit his tee shot to around three feet.

“It was pretty close, to be fair, and Peter will probably feel a a bit disappointed,” added Lawrie. “He was one up playing 11 and missed a five-footer for birdie there to go two up then three-putted the next. It swung quite a lot there. On days like today you’ve just got to keep battling and believing you are going to find something.

“I made a lovely up and down from a tough position at 16 then hit a great shot in at 17 to finish it off, so it was a good win.”

Lawrie now faces Colombian Camilo Villegas knowing a win will guarantee him a place in the last 16 as the top two in each of the eight groups will progress.

Other winners included American Brandt Snedeker, who didn’t have a full set of clubs when he started out but still managed to thump Thomas Bjorn 5 and 4. Snedeker was forced to seek replacements when his usual set went missing en route from Florida. They eventually showed up at Malaga yesterday, then were driven to the course and taken to him on the fourth tee. Under the rules he was allowed only to add four to those he had started with, but was so happy with the driver he’d borrowed from John Senden and the putter he had chosen in the pro shop that he continued with them.