PAUL LAWRIE RISE TO WORLD No 29: WHAT THE PAPERS ARE SAYING

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The sports pages are full of Paul Lawrie news and features these days - reflecting just how much his golf career has "taken off" again in his 40s.
Here are some excerpts from today's morning papers:

ABERDEEN PRESS AND JOURNAL
Interview by Paul Third

Paul Lawrie believes the death of his coach, Adam Hunter, was the catalyst for his remarkable renaissance in golf.
The 1999 Open champion, who has equalled the best form of his career by climbing to No 29 in the world pro rankings, said:
"Adam Hunter, rest his soul, used to shout and bawl at me like crazy as I hit too many balls and worked on so many things instead of sticking to what I was good at.
"He was of the belief I should play a bit more and stick to things I had in my swing. I never saw it.
"It took for him to leave us for me to reassess and realise maybe I did have to focus on playing more and acceptinhg my swing being the way it was. The biggest change I've made has been coming home and playing golf rather than hitting balls.
"I used to hit balls and constantly work on my swing but I'm at a point in life where my boys want want to go and play the game rather than hit balls so I go with them.
"It's amazing how it is all coming together for me now at the age of 43 as I would have expected it to come after I won the Open in 1999. To wait 13 years is strange but I'm not going to knock it.
"I'm in the form of my life without question. I've not been working on any technical stuff and by keeping it simple I'm playin lovely. I've been seeing Andrew Locke out at Inchmarlo, really only to check everything is fine."

SCOTTISH DAILY EXPRESS
By MARK GARROD
Former Open champion Paul Lawrie's dream of a return to the Ryder Cup after 13 years is almost a reality.
According to captain Jose Maria Olazabal, the 43-year-old Scot, now up to second in the Ryder Cup qualifying points standings behind Rory McIlroy, is "pretty much in" after finish joint runner-up to Luke Donald and earning more than £312,000 in the BMW GA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.
And while others may have raised their eyeborws about Lawrie deciding not to enter next month's US Open - Paul thinks he is better served staying in Europe to pick up more cup points - Olazabal sees one big positive in that.
"It says a lot about what Paul thinks of the Ryder Cup, how important it is to him.
Lawrie said: "The big priority and the big goal for me is to get back in the Ryder Cup team. I feel the US Open is not a venue that's ever suited my game."

SCOTTISH DAILY EXPRESS
By JOCK MacVICAR
Bernhard Gallacher believes Paul Lawrie's elevation to genuine world status is partly due to the fact that, at last, he is thinking of himself a bit more rather than others.
"When Paul won the Open, he felt he had a responsibility to the game rather than himself," said Gallacher.
"He's done great things for Scottish golf and sport in general but time marches on. He should have been thinking more of himself and I'm pleased he is doing that now because he is so good.
"I think Paul knows now that he should have played in more Ryder Cups and won more tournaments.
"After Luke Donald, the second most impressive player on the final day at Wentworth was undoubtedly Paul Lawrie. Take the last hole. He smashed his drive to the perfect position. The flag was in a dangerous position close to the water but Paul went straight at it and was right over the flag."
Gallacher also believes that Lawrie has it in him to win another Major.
"It is not inconceivable  When the going gets tough Paul can hit the shots required. He was angry at himself after throwing away his semi-final in the World match-play the previosj week and that was a good sign. He's right up there with the best of them in terms of method and he's also putting well at the moment. He's got the total game."

THE SCOTSMAN
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Bernard Gallacher has urged Paul Lawrie, Scotland’s top-ranked golfer for the first time in his career, to reconsider a decision to skip the forthcoming US Open, claiming the on-form Aberdonian is set to miss out on a genuine chance of winning a second major.
The 43-year-old Aberdonian, who has climbed 11 places in the world rankings to a career-best 29th on the back of his second-place finish behind Luke Donald in the PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday, has said for some time now that he would not be travelling to the Olympic Club in San Francisco for the second major of the season.
He believes that US Open courses don’t necessarily suit his game and, moreover, reckons he will have a better chance of making the European Ryder Cup team later in the year if he stays at home in a fortnight’s time to prepare for an important run of events on this side of the Atlantic, starting with the BMW International Open in Germany.
Bernard Gallacher, the winning Ryder Cup captain at Oak Hill in 1995, reckons Lawrie  should be heading to California.
“Paul should re-consider because his game is good enough to win it,” he told The Scotsman. “The players were talking about Wentworth having a US Open feel to it, due to it being bouncy and, apart from Luke Donald, no-one coped better than Paul. It has nothing to do with me, but I would implore Paul to think again as he might regret his decision later.
“I can see why some players might look at a trip to California upsetting their schedule, but I genuinely believe he has the game to win the US Open and he proved that at Wentworth.
“At 63, I still feel regret about not getting the chance to play in a US Open. Even though I was playing in Ryder Cups and winning in Europe, I never managed to qualify.”
“I think he will be in the team and he may already have done enough to secure an automatic spot. It’s going to take a few people to do really well over the next few months, not just one or two, to deny him,” added Gallacher. “He’s certainly good enough to be on the team again as he’s right behind Luke Donald in terms of his game at the moment.

PAUL LAWRIE WORLD RANKING

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

JULY 1999 (week after Open win ……………… 48^th

MARCH 6, 2000 (after jt 4^th  in Dubai Desert Classic)  40^th

MARCH 13, 2000 (while resting at home) ………. 38^th

JUNE 26, 2000 ……………………………………  30^th

July 18, 2000 (week of Open title defence) ………  29^th

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

January 1, 2011 ………………………………….. 272nd

May 28, 2012 …………………………………….  29th