Paul Lawrie : 'Even with an Open, I am a wasted talent'

WHEN Paul Lawrie looks at a glass he knows is half full, it doesn't stop him wondering why it's half empty. There's a duality in the Aberdonian's career, a puzzling blend of glittering prizes acquired against the odds and frustration bottled up over subsequent years of underachievement, which leaves the former Open champion eager to fill that cup to the brim.

In conversation earlier this week at the Carrick on Loch Lomond, where he's the touring professional, Lawrie was asked after enduring six seasons without a victory on Tour if he now felt unfulfilled as a golfer. "I think that's bang on," he replied. "Even with an Open championship under my belt, I think I'm a wasted talent."

As a past winner of the Open at Carnoustie in 1999, the Dunhill Links champion at St Andrews in 2001 and Europe's leading Ryder Cup points scorer at Brookline, does Lawrie truly see himself as a champion who has fallen so far short ?

"Well there's two ways of looking at it," he said. "If you look at the kid who was working in the pro shop at Banchory in 1986 and turned pro with a 5 handicap, then you can assess my career and argue I've overachieved. But when you go from where I was after winning the Open at Carnoustie to where I am now, well, that's an underachievement which is beyond belief."

Without any financial worries – he's won over £5million in prize money and has various blue chip sponsors – Lawrie continues to pursue a life on Tour because he has unfinished business. His sons, Craig and Michael, for example, have yet to see their Dad win on the European Tour.

"Like everyone else, the older I get, the more I wonder sometimes, 'Should I still be getting up at 6am to go and practice?' But I am still doing it. A few weeks ago, I arrived home very late on Sunday evening and was on the range the next morning before 7am working on things which I hadn't been happy about the previous afternoon. Yes there are times when I ask if I really want to be doing this. But the answer is 'yes', I do want to be here and I do want to get better. In fact, I probably have more desire now than I've ever done.

"Right now, I'm not happy with where I am in the world rankings (He's 259th]. I'm not happy with the fact my boys have never seen me win a tournament on the European Tour. I don't like that.

"They saw me win the Scottish PGA at Gleneagles (on the Tartan Tour]. But Michael was still quite young, young enough that when I came off, he said to his mother: 'Who won ?' "

Due to celebrate his 40th birthday on New Year's day, Lawrie is at a stage in his career when he's ready to take stock and regroup. He expects to have another six years or so of involvement at the highest level. Having won five events in his previous 16 years on Tour, the Scot has set himself a target of emulating Vijay Singh and winning more in his 40s than he did in his 20s and 30s.

"By this age, I should have learned all there is to know. I know what Vijay has done and when you see his stats, it makes you think: 'I'm not even 40 yet and he's won majors at that age.' So I don't feel as if I'm done yet by a long way.

"From now until I'm 45, I think I'll win more tournaments than I did previously. You have to think that way, otherwise why bother? You wouldn't get up in the morning."

Amidst all the speculation about who may or may not represent Europe in the Ryder Cup at Valhalla, Lawrie is despondent he's not even a candidate. "To play to the standard I've been capable of and only take part in one Ryder Cup is appalling. That's something which needs to be addressed. If I didn't play in the Ryder Cup again, that would be a huge disappointment. I played well at Brookline and it's baffling why I haven't been there again.

"Not that I see the match as the be-all and end-all. I've always said that I would rather win every season and not get into the Ryder Cup team rather than miss out on winning. For me, golf is an individual sport. Put me in a position to win a big tournament and I do well. My problem is I don't get there often enough. And I don't get why that is."

With the £3m Barclays Scottish Open due to start on Thursday, Lawrie would love to emulate his past successes at Carnoustie and St Andrews.

"Two of my biggest wins have been in Scotland, which is no surprise because I love playing at home in front of our own people," he said.

"They are the best fans in golf, knowledgeable, and with no hostility to players from other countries. If you don't enjoy playing in front of a Scottish gallery there's something wrong with you.

"There's no question I would love to have a win at Loch Lomond on my CV. It's a fantastic event. I've always liked the golf course, but when you don't play well somewhere, that can affect your thinking. But it's a brilliant lay-out which, like Le Golf National in Paris, took me two or three times to fall in love with."

Yet to post a top ten finish from 13 appearances this season, Lawrie admits finding it difficult to cope with the burden of failing to match his own great expectations. "My golf is at a stage where I'm hitting enough good shots to win a tournament," he said. "But I'm also hitting two or three (poor] shots each day which are stopping me from doing that. I've been making lots of cuts but when I've been playing on the weekend my finishes are between 20th and 50th every week. Which is no good to man nor beast and particularly to me.

"I've been working hard, but the mental side of things has not been great. As you can imagine, I've been getting very frustrated with the way I've been finishing. It's something I've never been all that good at. When you play well, it's easy. When you don't, and you're frustrated, that's when the mental side should take over.

"I know I've been saying it for what seems like years, but I honestly feel as if I'm very close. The margins are slender and it's a very fine line. It only takes one extra shot each day and you can't win. Yes, there are a lot of good players out there, but I still feel as if I can compete or I wouldn't still be doing it."

If the incentive of playing on home turf doesn't revive Lawrie's fortunes, then perhaps the opportunity for history to repeat itself at the Open will offer another spark at Royal Birkdale later this month

"I look forward to going there and always feel very strongly about the Open that it's a championship I can win," he went on. "Seaside golf suits my game to a 't'. I enjoy bumping the ball in and playing in a bit of wind on a links. And I normally putt better when the greens are firm. I didn't do particularly well the last time the Open was at Birkdale in 1998, but I don't dislike any of the courses on the Open rota.

"The way Carnoustie was set up for the Open last summer was the best set-up (at a major] I've ever seen. The R&A know how to prepare a really good course these days. And I'm sure Birkdale will provide a fantastic test."

Although Padraig Harrington has inherited the mantle of last European to win a major, Lawrie says he can't blame his indifferent form at the oldest major – four missed cuts in the last five years – from shouldering that past responsibility.

"The only time I ever thought about (being the last European golfer to win a major] was when people wrote about it before the Open. It was never something that was in my head. Of course, it did take too long between my win at Carnoustie and Padraig's when you consider the number of outstanding British and European players. For all those years to elapse between major wins was a puzzle. When people were writing about how I was the last one, I was thinking I wanted to be the next European to win a major. And that's still how I feel."