‘Shocked’ Lawrie believes GB&I Walker Cup selectors have made a mistake by leaving Law out of team

PAUL Lawrie has claimed that Great Britain & Ireland have hampered their chances of winning the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen in a fortnight’s time due to the shock omission of his fellow North-East native, David Law, from the home line-up for the biennial event.

Former Open champion Lawrie, who failed in a bid to get a late invite for Law, a player he mentors through the Paul Lawrie Foundation, to the Johnnie Walker Championship, which starts today at Gleneagles, is convinced captain Nigel Edwards and his fellow selectors have got it wrong by leaving the 20-year-old out of the ten-man Walker Cup team.

Along with many other observers, Lawrie believed Law, a Royal Aberdeen member, had done enough to earn a crack at the Americans after winning the Scottish Amateur Championship for the second time in three years at Western Gailes in Ayrshire last month.

He was also astonished to learn that Alan Dunbar, who is lying 208th in the amateur world rankings, had been selected ahead of Law, who is not only ranked 87th but also beat the Irishman in the Home Internationals at Rosse Point a fortnight ago.

“I think surprise would have been the first reaction and then, when you find out that there’s someone been selected that’s 121 places below David in the world rankings, then it becomes more shock than anything else,” said Lawrie.

“I don’t think they have the ten best players on the GB&I team and, unless you get that, you’re always going to risk losing.”

Law, who has missed out again this week – the two amateur spots in the field have gone to Walker Cup selection James Byrne and SGU Order of Merit leader James White – has been backed by Lawrie to bounce back from the bitter blow.

“He’s disappointed, as everyone connected with him, especially his parents, myself and the Foundation, are. You put a lot in and it would have been great if he had made it. I think he felt he had done enough to make it,” added the Aberdonian.

“However, it has not been difficult to pick him up – he shot 64 at Hazlehead after the selections were made. That shows it’s not going to have any lingering affect. Mentally, he’s very strong. He works hard and soaks it all in. He’s going to the Tour School and we’ll see what happens there.”

Lawrie, who finished third behind Swede Peter Hedblom over the PGA Centenary Course two years ago and won for the first time in nine years on the European Tour when he claimed the Andalucian Open title in Malaga in March, is making his first appearance this week since the Open Championship at Royal St George’s. A back injury, sustained as he was lifting his son’s power trolley out of the boot of his car, stopped him from travelling to Killarney for the Irish Open last month but he has certainly not been sitting at home with his feet up.

A fortnight ago, the 42-year-old joined his wife, Marian, and four friends on a seven-day trek – “more of a holiday than a chore” – along the 97-mile West Highland Way.

Last week, he paid a first visit to the site of Donald Trump’s championship course at Menie Estate and was impressed by what the American, who took the chance to personally thank Lawrie over the telephone for his support for the controversial project, is creating in the giant dunes to the north of Aberdeen.

“The course is going to be special, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Even with a year to go, I think, before it opens, you can see that some of the holes are going to be breathtaking.”