Showing posts with label Challenge Tour Grand Final. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Challenge Tour Grand Final. Show all posts

4/20/2016

Profile - Peter Lawrie

Peter Lawrie, Rabat - Getty Images
Peter Lawrie claimed his maiden European Tour victory at the Open de España in 2008, defeating home favourite Ignacio Garrido in a play-off. Enjoyed a fine performance as defending champion in 2009, finishing tied third.Made history at the end of the 2003 season when he became the first Irish golfer to win the prestigious Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award

Educated at the University College Dublin where he undertook a golf scholarship. Graduated to The European Tour through the European Challenge Tour, finishing fourth in the Rankings at the end of 2002, helped by a superb victory in the Challenge Tour Grand Final.

The Dublin brn golfer graduated to The European Tour through the European Challenge Tour, finishing fourth in the Rankings at the end of 2002, helped by a superb victory in the Challenge Tour Grand Final. His elevation to The European Tour was testament to his determination, having spent one year on the Asian Tour and three seasons on the Challenge Tour before achieving his goal. 

Peter was capped at boys, youths and national level for Ireland as an amateur. In his early days as a professional, he played in Asia and Florida, gaining a ‘Mini Tour’ victory in America’s Sunshine State.

In 2012 Lawrie teed off in his first US Open last year, played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, having secured a spot through UK qualification.

The next year Lawrie managed a strong finish at the ISPS HANDA Perth International to earn just enough to retain his card.

In 2014 an indifferent season ended with €56,040 in prize money earning him 174th place in the Race to Dubai - and loss of automatic playing rights for 2015.

At The European Tour Final Qualifying Peter Lawrie finished in a share of 29th place at PGA Catalunya and outside the first 25 places required to regain status.

In 2015 the Dubliner, who had finished 124th in the Race to Dubai on the back of 17 invitations, missed again. 

Despite that result Lawrie felt his chances of regaining his full playing rights from a lesser category were better in 2016.

“I won’t give up,” said Lawrie afterwards, and expected to get around 22 starts next season.

“I have never been a giver-upper, so I will carry on and I will play next year though apart from the Irish Open, I won’t be seeking invites. I have had my fair share and it’s time for somebody else to get them.”

“It’s like anything,” Lawrie said. “Do you enjoy a job that is not giving you something back? The big problem is the potential golden egg. But sometimes you have to look at the expense account and weigh one up against the other.

“So I’ll play whatever I can get into next year. That’s the plan. From there, we will wait and see.”

In 2016 at the Open de España Lawrie finished in a share of 53rd place at the Real Golf club Valderrama, Hosted by Sergio Garcia Foundation. At the Tshwane Open in South Africa the Dubliner missed the cut and it was his first full event since  September.

Factfile
Residence Dublin
Date of Birth: 22/03/1974
Place of Birth Dublin, Ireland
Family Wife: Philippa (m. 2003), Children: Jessica (2005), Amelia Jane (2007), Elizabeth (2009), Christopher (2011)
Interests Snooker, football, cinema
Turned Pro 1997 (plus 2)
Qualifying School 1998, 99, (00), (01) (14) (15)


Peter Lawrie - 2016


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10/28/2013

No Irish Challenge in Dubai Final


After 24 tournaments in 20 countries across the globe, the 2013 European Challenge Tour season will finally reach its climax at this week’s Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club. Alarmingly for the second successive year the Grand Final includes no Irish players. The last being Simon Thornton in 2011. 

On that occasion Thornton finished tied 6th after a final round 64 in Puglia. This season Thornton became a European Tour winner after securing the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open presented by Neuflize OBC title in Saint Omer in June.

Colm Moriarty was a Grand Finalist in 20101 but finished 31st and outside the top fifteen who get European Tour playing cards.

This year the Challenge Tour finale enters a new era as it moves to the United Arab Emirates city for the first time, and the Al Badia Golf Club will provide a fitting backdrop for the drama that is sure to follow this week.

Italian Andrea Pavan, a former winner of the Grand Final, sits atop the Rankings heading into the season-ender, but he will not be sitting easy as a number of ambitious young guns and experienced older heads attempt to steal his thunder and finish top of the pile.

While the race for the prestigious title of Challenge Tour Number One might catch many an eye, there is a lot more at stake for the majority of the field at the Dubai Festival City venue this week.

At the beginning of the season, every Challenge Tour player tees it up with one dream in mind – claiming one of the prized 15 cards for The European Tour. Now, it all boils down to one week and who has the guts, the unyielding ambition and the game to seal the deal when it matters most.

Nacho Elvira, winner of The Foshan Open in China two weeks ago, lies in 15th place on €72,830 and with a winner’s prize of €56,650 on offer this week, every player down to 45th placed Julien Guerrier (currently on €36,110) knows a win would be enough to fulfil their European Tour dream.

Every man has a chance and that point was emphasised in dramatic fashion last season when Englishman James Busby arrived to the Grand Final as the last man in the field, in 45th spot.

He launched a late assault on the leaderboard and in one afternoon, his career was turned upside down as a tied runner-up finish earned him an unlikely rookie season on The European Tour.

The winner of last week’s National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, Rooke Kakko, also proved what can be achieved as his first victory as a first professional (his previous Challenge Tour win coming as an amateur) earned him a guaranteed place in the top 15 of the Rankings – moving to sixth from 17th - and a return to the top tier.

Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard was the only player to leap into the all-important top 45 at last week’s penultimate event in Oman, thanks to a runner-up finish, and the 22 year old will be hoping to complete an incredible two weeks by making another climb into the top 15 with a big performance in Dubai.

The inaugural Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club provides a fitting end to celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the Challenge Tour this year.

The tour has grown in strength and stature every year since its inception and to finish the 2013 campaign at such a spectacular venue as Dubai Festival City and Al Badia indicates how far it has come.

The event will also mark the beginning of a ‘Festival of Golf’ in the city as The European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship, Dubai hosts some of the world’s greatest players in two weeks’ time, before the emirate also hosts the final tournament of the Ladies European Tour season in December.

The Challenge Tour Grand Final has proven a real breeding ground for some of the world’s best golfers, with Thomas Björn, Nicolas Colsaerts, Martin Kaymer, Edoardo Molinari, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson having all played in the event before going on to worldwide fame.

Indeed, current Race to Dubai leader and World Number Four Stenson is a former winner of the event, his victory in Cuba in 2000 proving enough to secure the title of Challenge Tour Number One that season.


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10/15/2013

Lawrie Hoping for a G'Day

Getty Images
It always comes to down this and there are always an unlucky few who have to go through it. It’s that time of year when there is just one event remaining in the quest to retain playing privileges on The European Tour. 

The beautiful Lake Karrinyup Country Club will provide the stage for the US$2million Perth International, where those players in and around the magic number of 110 in The 2013 Race to Dubai will either have one of the greatest or one of the worst weeks of their careers. 

With the man in 110th position in the Race to Dubai, Gaganjeet Bhullar, not in Perth to defend his position, those in and around that position are focusing only on that magic number. 

Alex Levy (108th in the Race to Dubai) and Richard Bland (109th) are desperate to hold onto their current positions, along with James Kingston (111th).

Peter Lawrie (114th) and David Higgins (115th) are looking for that big finish which will see them guarantee a place on The European Tour next season. For Lawrie it has been a hazard avoided for  ten years.

Lawrie claimed his maiden European Tour victory at the Open de España in 2008, when he defeated home favourite Ignacio Garrido in a play-off. He also enjoyed a fine performance as defending champion in 2009, finishing tied third. 

He made history at the end of the 2003 season when he became the first Irish golfer to win the prestigious Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. Educated at the University College Dublin where he undertook a golf scholarship, Lawrie graduated to The European Tour through the Challenge Tour, finishing fourth in the Rankings at the end of 2002. A breakthrough helped by a superb victory in the Challenge Tour Grand Final. 

Lawrie also one year on the Asian Tour and three seasons on the Challenge Tour before achieving his goal on the European Tour. Lawrie was capped at boys, youths and national level for Ireland as an amateur and in his early days as a professional, he played in Asia and Florida, gaining a ‘Mini Tour’ victory in America’s Sunshine State.

In Perth he said “I have flown all the way here because I have one opportunity left to save my season so I need to embrace it and go with it and see what happens. I have never been in this position before – the last time I would have been feeling like this would have been 2002 when I was trying to get onto the Tour, so it has been a while. 

“My form has been terrible to be honest so there is not a lot to go on in terms of form. I have missed six out of the last seven cuts so I just have to get ready for that first tee as well as I can on Thursday morning and take it from there.

“I am in this position for one reason – it is my own fault and it is up to me to get myself out of it. I am here to do a job and to save my card. It is up to me to do it and there is really nothing more I can say or do after that.”

For David Higgins the battle with Q School has been a more familiar and frequent occurrence, having first come through all three stages in 2012, taking the 18th card at the Final Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort with a seven under par total. Earlier that year finished tied tenth in the BMW PGA Championship, having gained entry as the leading PGA professional in the Irish PGA region. 

Prior to losing his card Higgins won three times on the Challenge Tour in 2000 to finish second in the Rankings and graduate the first time to The European Tour. However Higgins could not keep his card, taking 124th spot in the Order of Merit.

Came through the Challenge Tour in 2005, again narrowly failing to retain his playing privileges at the highest level in 2006. 

The Kerryman was Ireland’s leading amateur by the age of 21 and enjoyed match play victories over Padraig Harrington in the finals of the South of Ireland in Lahinch and the Irish Amateur Close Championship. 

His Father Liam is a former European and Senior Tour winner.


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