The links effect - Lawrie's on course to savour the sweet scent of success

David Mccarthy, The Daily Record, 7 October 2006

Paul Lawrie was so fed up with golf three weeks ago that he walked out of the Madrid Open after six holes.

The Aberdonian was seven over par at the time. Mind you, he was playing with a set of clubs cobbled together at the last minute after his own set was lost by the airline in transit.

Yesterday, though, Lawrie was back doing what he loves best - playing links golf in the raw.

He was in Fife, in October, which meant four seasons in one day and he revelled in the wind and rain as much as in the sunny spells that broke up the worst excesses of the weather.

The 35-year-old is the last European to have won a Major, in 1999, having done so on the Carnoustie links where he carved out a level par 72 on day one of the Dunhill Links.

Yesterday, Lawrie moved on to Kingsbarns and ripped the place to shreds with a seven-under 65 that hurtled him into contention. He'll play St Andrews today, where he won this tournament in 2001.

And with a good record at the home of golf he'll be confident of reeling in Bradley Dredge's five-stroke lead.

Lawrie will draw on the memory of that victory in the inaugural Dunhill for inspiration when he goes out to play this morning.

He said: "If I have a good day, I will be right in there. I was five under at this stage when I won, then had a good Saturday and Sunday. So I can do it again.

"I've been trying to get things a little simpler and not having so much going on in my hand. I am just standing up and hitting it and today was great."

At St Andrews, defending champion Colin Montgomerie was saying pretty much the same thing. He had played poorly by his standards at Kingsbarns on Thursday, shooting a 73, to leave him 10 shots behind Paul Casey.

By the end of play yesterday, he had pulled it back to eight shots behind new leader Dredge as he charged round the Old Course in 67.

Monty has sussed out this place - he is 22 under par in his last seven rounds at St Andrews and with another visit scheduled on Sunday, he knows that if he can negotiate Carnoustie today, he'll be in with a shout.

Last year he overhauled Kenneth Ferrie's five-stroke lead on the last day and he'll be taking that positive thought with him into the weekend.

He said: "I made two or three 20-30 foot putts and that is the key to any good round. If you putt well, you usually score well and that was the case today.

"I needed something in the 60s and a 67 was okay. I dropped a shot at the 14th, which was quite annoying, but the ball was under the lip of the Beardies bunker and it defied the laws of physics by coming out.

"It could have all gone pear-shaped at that hole and it was a good six.

"I'm back in the tournament but I need another round in the 60s over Carnoustie, where I am the course record holder. Then I need to go low again here at St Andrews on Sunday.

"I was happy to beat Paul because yesterday was embarrassing when he beat me by 10 shots.

"To score 67 after starting with a bogey was very good today. I'm delighted with that."

Monty also shot into contention in the team tournament with film star Michael Douglas. Between them they shot a superb 61.

He added: "I shot 67 and for Michael to help me with an extra six shots was incredible. He contributed six shots ontop of my five, so to shoot 61 round any course is good. "We are lying sixth, which is better than last year.

We are playing the easy course tomorrow, Carnoustie, so there is no reason why we can't do well there!"

While Monty and Lawrie have edged into the fight, the leading Scot remains Scott Drummond, who was delighted to get out of Carnoustie with a69 to finish eight under.

The 32-year-old winner of the 2004 Volvo PGA tends to reserve his best performances for bigger tournaments and with a £427,000 first prize on offer, this event falls into that category.

He said: "Certain events have more of a buzz and more of a feel to them. In Majors and events like the PGA, you are playing for a huge amount of money and ranking points.

"If those sort of circumstances lift my game, then great. I try to get myself up for every event but my best results have been in the big tournaments."

While the trio of Scots are in contention, Dredge has a two-shot lead over Swede Johan Edfors and South African Charl Schwartzel, with Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington and Simon Dyson a further shot adrift on nine under.

Dredge won his last tournament, the European Masters in Switzerland, and is playing out of his skin.

But despite taming Carnoustie with a 67, he was happier with his performanceat the Old Course. He said: "I hit a couple of iffy shots but I was delighted with St Andrews because I've always found it hard to score round there.

"Carnoustie is tough but you can see a lot more trouble - it's laid out in front of you and you've got to keep hitting good shots."

South African lightweight Schwartzel admits he isn't a huge fan of St Andrews but that didn't stop him shooting a 67.

The 21-year-old, who also did well at the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, said: "I don't like this course as much as parkland courses but this is my fourth year here and I'm getting used to it.

"It's nice to play the Old Course when you aren't getting blown away. When you are only 67kg like me it doesn't take much wind to get blown over!"