THERE is a medical term for Paul Lawrie’s niggling foot injury but it’s probably one of those tongue-twisters that causes you to put your jaw out trying to pronounce it. “It’s a damaged joint and there is a fancy name for it but, basically, I’ve got a sair fit,” said the no-nonsense Aberdonian. “I’m just getting old. It’s nae fun getting old.”
In this generation game, though, there are one or two benefits to the ageing process. Life begins at 50 and in three years, Lawrie will be eligible for the Senior Tour. That doesn’t mean he’ll be taking it easy. The golden oldies circuit may have its allures but Lawrie, inspired by the longevity of the likes of Bernhard Langer and Miguel-Angel Jimenez who continue to be competitive on both regular and senior circuits, is hoping there will still be plenty of golfing life in the old dog when he finally clocks up his half century.
“Three years ago, when I first thought about it, I was going to play full-time on the Champions Tour [the US-based senior circuit] but I keep changing my mind and I’m pretty sure I’ll still be competitive on the main tour when I get to 50,” said the 47-year-old. “I’m looking forward to the seniors but seeing the likes of Bernhard, Miguel or Davis Love III doing so well, there’s no reason why I can’t win on our tour. So why would you step down if you still feel you can win on the main tour? I don’t think I’d play week in, week out on the seniors. I’d like to think I’d still have main tour goals.”
Lawrie was doubling up at Archerfield Links yesterday as he launched a ticketing scheme for his own matchplay event on the European Tour and the European Senior Tour’s Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Open. Buy a brief for Lawrie’s tournament at Archerfield in August and you get free entry to the over-50s competition a couple of weeks later at the same East Lothian venue.
You could say it was a bit of an old Paul’s act. It’s an old pals’ act that Lawrie may be looking for himself come the Ryder Cup later this year. He has little chance of qualifying for the biennial battle at Hazeltine as a player but the former Open champion has not given up hope of getting a role as one of Darren Clarke’s European vice-captains.
Lawrie and Clarke go back a long way, to the days when they were European Tour rookies striding out on the circuit together in the early 1990s, and the Scot, who played in the Ryder Cups of 1999 and 2012, would relish the opportunity to be back in the cut-and-thrust of the transatlantic tussle.
“Darren’s spoken to a few people about who he wants as vice captains and he’ll make that decision after the Open,” he said. “We’ve had a chat but no official nod yet. If you’re not involved as a player, or you’re not the captain, you want to help out in some capacity and if he sees me as having a role in that team then nobody would be happier than me. I think he’ll be a great captain. He’s popular with the players, he’s got the respect of the players. It’s a tough job on the back of Paul McGinley who was an exceptional captain but I’m sure he’ll keep a lot in place that Paul started.”
McGinley had five vice-captains for his successful stint as skipper at Gleneagles in 2014 and Lawrie’s hopes of gaining a backroom berth could be boosted by the return to form of Lee Westwood.
The Englishman and Clarke are as thick as thieves and Westwood would no doubt be handed an assisting role if he doesn’t make the team. However, Westwood injected his qualifying bid with renewed vigour after a share of second in the Masters last month to propel himself up the points table and Lawrie insists the former European and world No.1 would be a far more valuable weapon on the course for Europe in the heat of the Ryder Cup battle.
“If Lee qualified it would make it a stronger team,” said Lawrie. “He’s experienced loads in the Ryder Cup. He was on both teams I played in and he was great in the team room. He doesn’t offer his opinion until asked but when he is asked he always has something to say.
“He’s not far off the team just now. You can see him kicking on and getting in now. You’d rather have him playing than in the backroom team. He’s a leader on the course.”
Lawrie will be back to business next week at the Irish Open as he embarks on a busy three-week stint that also takes in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and the Nordea Masters.
So how will that sair fit bear up? “If I’m playing poorly my foot is killing me, if I’m playing nicely it’s brilliant,” he added. “Hopefully, there’s a magic pill.”
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