Opinion & Analysis

Scotland’s forgotten major winner

Published

7 years ago

Mar 6, 2019

When the name Paul Lawrie is mentioned on GolfWRX, it is usually on a forum thread where the question of the worst major winner of all time is posed. Recognition of sorts, but recognition, which is beginning to slip away at least in minds of many who have replaced Lawrie’s name with that of Danny Willett.

That Lawrie is treated in that way is as disappointing as it is wrong. The Home of Golf has not produced many major winners in the last 100 years. Sandy Lyle aside, Paul Lawrie is it. So how can it be that the winner of The Open, eight European Tour events, and a two-time Ryder Cup player has been relegated to such to an afterthought amongst golf fans, commentators, and tournament organizers. In spite of his efforts to get invited, he is now being regularly ignored by Champions Tour events and he faces a yearly ghosting the PNC Father-Son Challenge that he so dearly wishes to play in with one of his sons.

That things have seem to be going this way for Lawrie has perhaps been inevitable. A “lucky” major winner who only happened to shoot a 67 on the final day, around the most difficult Open course in recent memory before then birding the toughest two holes on the toughest closing stretch of the toughest test in golf. The most recent high point in his career is inarguably his qualifying for the Ryder Cup in 2012. 13 years after making his debut and a number of years after seemingly having slipped into obscurity he was back on golf’s grandest stage. His play that week was solid before a spectacular Sunday saw him beat Brandt Snedeker in singles.

Since that time, age and injuries have caught up with him with a particularly problematic foot condition preventing him from playing much at all during 2018. He is now 50 and into the senior ranks. Thus far, he has not caught the attention of the Champions Tour with his first start looking likely to be April at the Insperity Invitational.

Can you imagine one-time major winners such as Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, or Mike Weir being similarly ignored when their time comes to compete with the over 50s? If it was starts on the Champions Tour that Lawrie is looking for, it seems that he would have been better off playing professional baseball like John Smoltz, as opposed to winning the games oldest major.

Over and above his own professional achievements, the stellar work of his Paul Lawrie Foundation in attracting juniors to golf and encouraging them into its competitive arena should be recognised. Founded in 2001, the Foundation has grown steadily over the years and provided support, mentoring and places to play for juniors all over the north and north east of Scotland. To date, the Foundation has been a huge success with David Law, a player long under the wing of Lawrie now making it on to and winning on the European Tour and recently turned professional Sam Locke who won the silver medal at Carnoustie perhaps the most famous graduate.

The successes of Law and Locke and the motivation that provides for those coming behind them is as a direct result of Lawrie’s vision in creating the foundation. The foundation itself indicates that it would be great if players who have come through its ranks end up winning on Tour or even a major but before all of that, the goal is simple — get clubs into the hands of youngsters and get them playing.

Thus far, Lawrie has been able to achieve that with great success, embarrassing the efforts of organizations such as the R&A and Scottish Golf Union. A major winner who genuinely has had a massive impact on getting people to play the game — surely that is something worth recognizing and remembering!

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Matthew O'Neill

Matthew O’Neill is neither a professional writer nor a professional golfer, he is simply a self-proclaimed golf fanatic. Having been a golfer from the age of 8, he has been a member at his home club in Scotland from the age of 13. In the time he has been a member there he has worked in the Pro Shop, served on the club council and currently captains the Men’s Scratch Team. Playing off a handicap of 3, he competes in club and regional competitions and regularly attends at professional events. When he is not talking or playing golf, his time is spent with his young family and at work as a lawyer. A product of his generation, as well as being active on GolfWRX forums, he regularly uses social media to keep up to date with the latest golf news and views, please feel free to reach out to him on those platforms.

10 Comments

Harvey

Mar 10, 2019 at 2:49 pm

His RC 5n4 singles win over Snedeker was all the better considering Sneds came freshly off his 10 million Fed x cup win. If Lawrie was thumped that day not an eyelid would have blinked due to little expectation, yet very few eyelids blinked even after his superb performance. Trivia maybe, but when Phil won the open at Muirfield Lawrie’s final three round score was only bettered by the actual winner. Lawrie, a class player who deserves better from certain quarters.

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Stixman

Mar 10, 2019 at 4:57 am

Twaddle, no-one on our side has forgotten him or the generosity of his contribution to golf post Carnoustie.

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Mark.

Mar 7, 2019 at 5:49 am

I have not forgotten him.

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John Wilkes

Mar 7, 2019 at 5:36 am

Great article. A man who does so much to promote the game in Scotland and a great player. Poor to see he can’t even get into the father/son event

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Rich Douglas

Mar 6, 2019 at 10:04 pm

From the US Tour, let’s not forget Orville Moody, whose only win was the US Open. Or Shaun Micheel (PGA), or even Michael Campbell (US Open). My favorite for this category is Andy North. He won 3 times on tour, two of the the US Open.

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P

Mar 6, 2019 at 5:21 pm

If Paul could have played on the PGA Tour in the States immediately after his Open win and had got decent results for a few years like a couple wins and a slew of top 10s, may be he would have been known and more respected in places like WRX but everything he did and was happened before WRX really took hold.
He had one of the nicest swings, it’s a shame he couldn’t produce more with it.

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the bishop

Mar 6, 2019 at 3:38 pm

Paul Lawrie is a major champion and legitimate one. Having said that the 99 Open was far more memorable for how it was lost, not how it was won. Unfair as that may be it is Lawrie’s unfortunate burden to bear. Whether that factors in to his inability to gain Champion’s Tour starts or Father/Son Challenge invites I don’t know. He’s a nice player who outside of one win had a respectable albeit somewhat lackluster career. I suspect that has more to do with it.

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Jack

Mar 6, 2019 at 3:00 pm

Great guy, does so much for golf in Scotland and still a fantastic player when fit. Could win a lot of events on seniors tour if he gets the chance and still capable of a European tour win if fit.

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craig

Mar 6, 2019 at 2:20 pm

nice work Matty !!!! Joke how he’s struggling to get invites.

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cdub

Mar 6, 2019 at 2:16 pm

big facts

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