Lawrie charms and adds magic to his putting

Lawrence Donegan, The Guardian, 5 October 2007

At a tournament where celebrity trumps ability and the efforts of pros grinding it out to make the cut are often drowned out by the antics of Hollywood stars trying to make tomorrow's papers, Paul Lawrie struck a blow for quiet modesty yesterday when he shot a 66 on the Old Course to leave himself in contention for the Dunhill Links Championship.

It was a fine effort by the former Open champion, not least because he has endured a torrid season, missing 11 cuts on the European tour and winning nothing other than the respect of those who were around to see the gracious way he conducted himself at Carnoustie, the scene of his famous triumph in 1999.

"At least I no longer get asked the question about being the last European winner," Lawrie said yesterday, when asked if Padraig Harrington's Open win had affected him. "And I did say beforehand I thought Padraig would be our next winner. It is not like me to get something right, so that was nice as well."

Lawrie moved on to another question he has long been asked: how can a player so obviously talented fail to win regularly? "I have been playing well for a long, long time but I have never been able produce good play and good putting at the same time," he said. "Today, I managed it."

Three putts, all from 20 feet, on the 11th, 12th and 13th greens gained Lawrie three shots against par but the highlight of his day was a 270-yard second shot at the 14th which left him with a two-footer for an eagle to finish six-under. That left him tied for second with Soren Hansen and Hennie Otto, one shot behind the first-round leader, Steve Webster, who produced a stunning seven-under par 65 up the coast at Carnoustie.

The format of this tournament, in which the professionals play three courses - the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns - on successive days alongside an amateur partner, does not make for a compelling spectacle. Nor does it offer much help for anyone trying to predict Sunday's outcome, although given the quality of the field it is safe to say the winner will be of the highest order.

Harrington, the defending champion, returned to Carnoustie for his first round and shot a two-under 70, the highlight of which was a birdie three at the 18th - three shots better than his double bogey one memorable afternoon in July. The Irishman ended the day tied for 44th place, behind a pack including Ernie Els, who had a five-under 67 at Carnoustie, and Justin Rose, who took one more shot around the same course. Lee Westwood, the recent winner of the British Masters and the form player in European golf, returned a round of 70 at Carnoustie.