A DOZEN SCOTS PROS BOUND FOR ALGARVE NEXT WEEK

NOW THE PAUL LAWRIE ALGARVE

INVITATIONAL NEXT WEEK

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
You could call it the Paul Lawrie Invitational Mark 2, to be played over 36 holes on Portugal's southern Algarve coastline next week.
Paul  and his foundation have invited a party of around 12 Scottish professionals, most of whom, but not all, play out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, to join him swinging in the sunshine ... and it will be a free trip for the players.
But it will be serious business on the golf course. "I aim to win it," says philanthropist Paul, adding:
"We'll be based in Faro for a couple of days and play a two-round event among ourselves before coming home at the end of the week.
"This is the time of year in Scotland when the weather restricts golfers to hitting balls and little else so the fact that we can take the younjg pros to enjoy some warm weather training and play competitive golf in good conditions in a huge bonus.
"I'll be on hand to offer some advice to the group while we are away. If it helps any of them, it will be a worthwhile exercise."
Former Scottish PGA secretary Michael MacDougall, now manager of the Paul Lawrie Foundation, is doing the organising of the trip.
"I am awaiting confirmation from a couple of the guys but it's  looking like it’ll be Paul, Craig Lawrie, Kris Nicol, Philip McLean, Greg McBain, Greig Hutcheon, Scott Henderson, Sam Kiloh, Alistair Forsyth plus a few of the other, young pros who play on the EuroPro Tour – 12 pros in total," said Michael.
"The idea is for the guys to get a bit of competitive golf and practice off turf during the winter weather here and for them to get the benefit of Paul’s, Alistair’s, Greig’s and Scott’s experiences too.
"We’ll have one practice round and a 36-hole event at a venue close to Faro – Pestana Vila Sol but it has 27 holes so not sure yet of which combination of nines we’ll use until I get there."