Lawrie sets record but Donald takes Masters title

LUKE DONALD cruised to his first European Tour title in the Scandinavian Masters to enhance his claims for a Ryder Cup wild card.

Donald carded a final-round 69 for a 16-under-par total of 272 at Barseback, five shots clear of Swedish pair Peter Hanson and Henrik Stenson.

Ireland's Peter Lawrie set a new course record in the final round. He fired an eagle and six birdies in an eight-under-par 64 to jump from a share of 53rd overnight to joint eighth on six under par.

The 2003 European Tour rookie of the year - the first Irishman to win the award - holed his second shot from 116 yards on the second for an eagle two on his way to lowering the record, set by England's Luke Donald on Friday, by a shot.

Colin Montgomerie, furious after bogeys at the last two, and Ian Poulter shared fourth place on nine under after closing rounds of 67 and 65. Donald collected the first prize of £176,000 and a two-year exemption and gave European captain Bernhard Langer a timely reminder of his abilities ahead of the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills in September.

The 26-year-old Englishman is still well outside the automatic qualifying places but is a strong contender for one of the two wild cards available to Langer, with Montgomerie expected to receive the other when the team is announced at the end of the month.

"This opens up a lot for me and gives my chances of making the Ryder Cup a great boost," said Donald, whose Walker Cup record of seven wins in eight matches could be a major factor in Langer's decision.

"I was hoping I would be in his mind before this week, but this is obviously going to help my chances of a wild card. In an ideal world I would like to play myself into the team and this has brought me a lot closer. There is no reason why I can't play myself into the team via the USPGA, NEC Invitational and BMW International." Based in Chicago after graduating from the city's Northwestern University, Donald won his first US Tour title in 2002 in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. "I took that win but this is so much more satisfying," said Donald. "It gives me a lot of confidence that come Sunday and under pressure I was able to win.