1999 OPEN CHAMPION, BUT 2001 HAS BEEN HIS BEST SEASON MONEY-WISE

PAUL LAWRIE HAS MADE CLOSE ON 

12million Euros ON EUROPEAN TOUR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
The 2014 European Tour Official Guide - published within the past week - is full of interesting facts and figures.
Such as Paul Lawrie's European Tour prizemoney between 1992 and 2013. Total: 11,919,130 Euros as he won eight times, including, of course, the 1999 Open at Carnoustie.
But 1999 does not rank within Paul's top four money-making seasons, which have been:
2001 - 1,428,931 Euros
2012 - 1,190,381 Euros
2002 - 1,151,434 Euros
2011 - 1,142,013 Euros

Apart from events under the auspices of the European Tour, Paul, now 45, has won:
1990 Scottish assistants championship
1992 European Under-25s championship
1992 Challenge Tour Scottish Brewers Championship
2002 AAM Scottish professional match-play championship
2005 Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship







That does not include several victories on the Tartan Tour during his pre-European Tour days and, I am pretty certain, he also won the Scottish Alliance championship at least once.
Paul turned pro as an assistant to the late Douglas Smart, the Banchory Golf Club professional, in 1986. Paul was a five-handicapper as an amateur but within four years he had won the Scottish assistants' championship and within six years the European Under-25s title.
That was a terrific rate of progress!
I've reported on Paul's pro golf career from Day 1 and the nicest thing I can say is that success has never gone to his head. He still wears the same size of cap that he did as an assistant pro at Banchory.