Lowly Lawrie looking for way back in Qatar

EUROPE’S last winner of a major title is hoping rubbing shoulders with Ernie Els over the next two days can provide the spark to re-ignite his career.

Scot Paul Lawrie has fallen all the way to 340th in the world six years on from his victory in the Open championship.

But as a former winner of the Qatar Masters it came in 1999 just before his triumph at Carnoustie he has been paired with third-ranked Els for the opening 36 holes of the £780,000 event in Doha.

Els, winner of the Dubai Desert Classic with a last-green eagle on Sunday, is the only member of the world's top 50 taking part and, determined to keep his confidence high with the US Masters less than a month away, the South African is as hot a favourite as it is possible to imagine in golf.

Lawrie will not even be at Augusta, his exemption from winning the Open now expired, but, at 36, he sees no reason why he cannot turn things round and rejoin the major league.

"Missing the cut last week was a bit of a setback because there had been some good signs this season," said the Aberdonian.

"But I've hit a lot of balls since and I know that it only takes one week for it all to change.

"I will be back hopefully but it has taken a bit longer than I thought it would.

"I'm in a position I never thought I'd be in and for a while I couldn't get my head around it but I went to see American sports psychologist Bob Rotella and also spoke to Lee Westwood."

A Ryder Cup team-mate in 1999, Westwood then fell from fourth on the rankings to outside the top 250 but has since battled all the way back to 24th.

"If you're capable of getting to number four in the first place you're capable of doing it again," added Lawrie.

"And I feel that if you're capable of winning majors you're capable of winning more big tournaments.

"Lee said he almost woke up one day, hit some fairways and was off again."

Els, the first golfing superstar to appear in the gas and oil-rich Gulf state, is not taking victory for granted.

"Looking at my ranking you would think it is a walk in the park but it definitely isn't," he said.

"The course has a lot more length than last week and the rough is a lot heavier. It's a challenge."

Among the others taking part are Ireland's Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley and Liverpool's Nick Dougherty, winner of the Singapore Masters in January, and Scotland's Scott Drummond.

Els was in the field when the Plymouth-based Scot lifted the Volvo PGA title at Wentworth last year from a lowly 396th on the world rankings living proof that this week's event is not a foregone conclusion, especially with the Shamal wind capable of blowing anyone out of contention if it suddenly kicks up.