HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAUL LAWRIE!

PAUL LAWRIE, MBE

Open champion 1999

Born Aberdeen,

January 1, 1969

Paul made golfing history when he came from 10 shots back on the final day to win the 1999 Open championship at Carnoustie after a play-off against former Open winner Justin Leonard (US) and Frenchman Jean Van de Velde.
Lawrie had actually come through the Final Qualifying competition - at Downfield - to get into the field.

With his win, Lawrie became the first home-based Scot since Willie Auchterlonie in 1893 to receive the coveted Claret Jug.
Paul hit the opening tee shot of the 1999 Ryder Cup match at Brookline Country Club, Massachusetts where the Americans won 14 ½-13 ½ after Europe had led 10-6 going into the final-day programme of 12 singles.
Lawrie (who beat Jeff Maggert 4 and 3), Colin Montgomerie, and Padraig Harrington were Europe’s only winners in the singles.
Jose Mara Olazabal got a halved match, but the top of the order men, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Jarmo Sandelin, Jean Van de Velde, Andrew Coltart and Jesper Parnevik all lost as did, lower down skipper Mark James’ batting order, Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia.
Lawrie gained 3 1/2pt out of a possible five, playing particularly well with Monty in the foursomes and four-balls.
Paul admits he had no CV as a boy golfer – football was his favourite sport – but that all changed when he turned pro on April 1, 1986 – age 17 – as an assistant with Banchory Golf Club professional Douglas Smart.
After Lawrie’s Open triumph, Banchory GC named a hole after their one-time assistant pro.
He won the first professional event he ever played in – the Moray Seafoods Open at Buckpool and his first national win was the Scottish assistants championship at Cruden Bay in 1990, the same year in which he later won the Scottish Under-25s championship and the Scottish Alliance championship for the first time.
Including the Open championship, Paul has won five times on the European Tour. Apart from the Carnoustie victory, Paul’s best Open finish was sixth behind title-winner Greg Norman at Royal St George’s in 1993.
He finished ninth in the European Tour’s Order of Merit for 1999; sixth in 2001 and 10th in 2002.
No other professional golfer has put so much back into Scottish golf at junior level as Paul whose Paul Lawrie Foundation, launched in March, 2001, has the backing of the R and A among others.
Paul, strongly supported by his wife, Marian – they have two sons, Craig and Michael - have developed the Foundation programme to give Under-18s an opportunity to try golf, encouraging them to develop their sporting potential, not only at golf but also football and hockey.


LAWRIE’S EUROPEAN TOUR RECORD
1998-2010: Tournament earnings: 7,432,547 Euros.
Highest one-season earnings: 2001 – 1,428,830 Euros; 2002 – 1,151,434 Euros.
Highest one-tournament prize: 881,251 Euros (2001 Dunhill Links Championship).

VICTORIES
1992 UAP European Under-25s championship.
1996 Catalan Open.
1999 Qatar Masters.
1999 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Carnoustie).
2001 Dunhill Links Championship.
2002 Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open.


OTHER WINS
1989 Moray Seafoods Open winner at Buckpool.
1990 Denis Lovell Scottish assistants championship at Cruden Bay.
1990 Scottish Alliance championship (at Newmachar?).
1991 Scottish Daily Express national pro-am individual championship (at Carnoustie?).
1992 Scottish Brewers Scottish PGA championship.
1993 Scottish Alliance championship (at Banchory and Deeside). 
1995 Scottish PGA Masters (at Downfield)
2002 Aberdeen Asset Scottish PGA match-play championship (at Deeside and Royal Aberdeen).
2005 Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship.

PAUL LAWRIE WORLD RANKING

JULY 1999 (week before Open at Carnoustie) … 159th.

JULY 1999 (week after Open win …………….......… 48th
MARCH 6, 2000 (after jt 4th in Dubai Desert Classic) 40th
MARCH 13, 2000 (while resting at home) ……….. 38th
JUNE 26, 2000 …………………………………….............. 30th.
July 18, 2000 (week of Open title defence) ……… 29th

July 25, 2000 (week after Open title defence)…… 57th

January 1, 2011 …………………………………................ 244th.

Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

E-mail from Steve Scott of the Dundee Courier.
it would be remiss of me not to point out that you've omitted one of Paul Lawrie's wins - the Scottish PGA Masters at Downfield in 1995, when he shot 65-66 on the final day's 36 holes to beat the-then home pro Andy Crerar. Easily missed because the tournament is long defunct, but it was a significant win in hindsight because, as you will recall, it was Downfield where Paul came through final qualifying for the Open at Carnoustie four years later.

Colin Farquharson writes:
Thanks, Steve. I've inserted the 1995 Scottish PGA Masters to his wins. I should have remembered because we were both there to witness it!