Ryder Cup: TV punditry not for me, says Paul Lawrie

“People think they’re good at things when they’re nae and I knew quickly that it wasn’t for me,” the Aberdonian said of the role he took on in Wales.

“It was a huge step and I thought, ‘I can’t do this the rest of my career’. It was tough, having to get a bus to the course at 5am then getting back at 10pm at night, and I found that being a golfer is not the hardest life.

“Plus, these guys [the regular commentators] are professionals and good at what they do. I’m a golfer, not a commentator, and to go in there and do that job justice is really, really tough.

“There’s a guy in your ear speaking to you while you’re trying to speak and I’m not a multi-tasker. I found it really tough. I’ve always been someone who, when he was working on his swing, it had to be either backswing or downswing, I can’t do both at the same time. I struggled with that my whole career. I didn’t want to do that every week. It wasn’t for me and I needed to get back to playing.”

A few months later, a  re-focused Lawrie recorded his first win on the European Tour in nine years and that provided the springboard for his Ryder Cup return this week after a  13-year absence.

The 43-year-old is up to 27th – a career best – in the world rankings and, though he was Open champion when he played at Brookline in 1999, Lawrie reckons his profile has also hit an all-time high.

“I’ve had a lot of people coming up to me in the last 18 months, more than after the Open win,” confessed Lawrie, who has extended his contract with equipment manufacturer Wilson. “It’s the Ryder Cup thing, my Foundation and being Scotland’s top golfer, I suppose.”

Despite being a rookie 13 years ago, he was able to handle hitting the event’s opening shot, a feat he puts down to a knack of being able to hide nerves.

“There’s a way of making yourself look calm when inside you’re churning.” he insisted. “People say, ‘man, you look so cool and calm out there’, but I’m just the same as everyone.

“I’m thinking ‘please don’t cock it up’. You have to come over that you’re in control.”