Paul Lawrie targets Ryder Cup despite slip-up

PAUL Lawrie is still on course to make a Ryder Cup return later this year despite the disappointment of letting a big lead slip as he missed out on a place in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.

The former Open champion won the first four holes in his semi-final against Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts but was pegged back before eventually losing at the second extra hole.

It was a sore one for Lawrie, especially after he’d comfortably beaten both Dane Thomas Bjorn and two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen at Finca Cortesin on Saturday.

But, in his 500th European Tour appearance, he picked up a cheque for just under £150,000 to take his season’s earnings to around £660,000, more than half his total earnings last season and with some of the biggest events of the year still to come.

Lawrie has played in the Ryder Cup just once before, picking up three-and-a-half points in the defeat at Brookline in 1999. But he’s currently in one of the automatic spots for this year’s side and is determined to face the Americans again at Medinah in September. “I’m not thinking about that as there’s a lot of tournaments still to be played,” said the Aberdonian when asked about the Ryder Cup.

However, he admitted earlier in the week that the chance to represent European again in the biennial event would cap a remarkable rejuvenation. “If I get in the Ryder Cup, it would be the biggest achievement of my career, so that’s the motivation,” he said.

One upcoming event Lawrie has decided to miss is the US Open in San Francisco. He’s made the cut just once in four previous appearances and reckons it would be better for his Ryder Cup hopes that he his properly prepared for the BMW International Open in Germany the following week.

“They way I’ve done my schedule is the best for me,” said Lawrie when asked about that decision at the weekend.

Lawrie, who did not drop a single stroke in crushing Goosen 6 and 5 – he’d beaten Bjorn 5 and 4 earlier in the day – looked to be cruising against Colsaerts after his flying start.

But a mistake at the eighth opened the door for the Belgian, who then won the ninth, 13th and 14th – all with birdies.

Lawrie got back in front again with a par at the 16th only for Colsaerts to force sudden death by winning the last with a birdie.

The Scot couldn’t believe his eyes when a birdie putt to win the match at the first extra hole – the 17th – stayed out.

And he was left shaking his head after Colsaerts made the most of his length off the tee to birdie the last and earn a place in the final.

“Four down after four holes, and he made one mistake. He opened the door a little bit and I started to play well at that time,” said Colsaerts.