Lawrie earns Valderrama ticket

PETER LAWRIE, the 30 year-old Dubliner, yesterday achieved one of his chief ambitions for 2003 – to qualify for the season ending Volvo Masters.

By finishing in a tie for 12th and winning €66,948 to bring his season's earnings to a very healthy €402,866, Lawrie made sure of being in Valderrama next month. He is now 50th on the money list and closed the tournament yesterday with a 68 over the Old Course at St Andrews for a 14 under-par total of 274.

"I played 36 holes over the Old Course without finding a single bunker and dropped only one shot," said Lawrie with understandable satisfaction. "My only bogey today came at the 17th and that was because I was keeping well away from the Road bunker. I could have had a really great back nine for I had three birdies in a row from the 11th, where I sank a 20-footer for a two; at the 12th where I drove it on the green and the 13th where I holed from 18 feet. I had a chance from eight feet at the next, took my punishment at the 17th and then missed from four feet for birdie at the 18th. That cost me a top ten finish."