Witness to (And Maker of) History: Paul Lawrie

Golf, as we know it today, is a Scottish invention. You’ll find people who will point to other obscure stick-and-ball games from Holland or France, but the golf we play hails from Scotland.

The Scottish are a sporting people, so naturally they thought it right to hold an Open Championship starting in 1860. It should come as no surprise that Scotsmen dominated the Open for the first 50 years of its existence.

Then came the Industrial Revolution, the rise of the Americas, and World War I. Suddenly golf’s epicenter began to shift away from Scotland. In what would be golf’s first Brain Drain, many of the top Scottish professionals left for the Americas. One of those who left was Tommy Armour, who would win the Open in 1931. It would be over 50 years before another Scotsman would raise the Claret Jug when Sandy Lyle won at Royal St. George’s in ’85. (Lyle was born in England, but his parents are Scottish, hence, Lyle rides for Scotland.)

Going into the ’99 Open Championship at Carnoustie, Colin Montgomerie looked like Scotland’s best hope as the 5th ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings. Andrew Coltart was in the top 100, but that was about it for Scotland. There was one Scottish player ranked 158th in the world whom not many people were talking about: Paul Lawrie.

As the final round began, Montgomerie was tied for 9th place, but nobody thought he was really going to be a factor. Monty pulled a Monty, shot a final round 74 and finished T-15. Coltart, on the other hand, was a bit of an unknown to most golf fans. Unfortunately for him, he was paired with Tiger Woods. This meant Coltart would be playing in front of galleries the likes of which he had never seen. Coltart understandably buckled and shot 77 to finish T-18. Scotland had one last hope, and that was Paul Lawrie, who started the day 10 shots behind Frenchman Jean van de Velde. You know what happened next, but there’s more you should know.

From These Humble Beginnings

One of the best things about golf in Scotland is that it hasn’t been as corrupted by money and class structure as it has in other countries. Lawrie is a product of that egalitarian golf culture. He is simultaneously working class and world class. The best type of champion.

Lawrie first found golf at his local Par-3 course. His father owned and drove a taxi for a living and played in a Tuesday league with other taxi drivers at Banchory Golf Club about 20 miles outside of Aberdeen, Scotland. Paul would sometimes tag along and hang around after his father’s league night. The head pro at Banchory liked what he saw in Lawrie, so he offered him a job as an apprentice assistant professional. Lawrie took the gig and was making about $40 a week. He was 17 years old and about a 5-handicap player.

In the next few years he would hit enough buckets of balls and putts on the pro shop carpet to reach a level where he would win assistant professional events and eventually made it to the DP World Tour in 1992. That in and of itself is an incredible leap from a 5-handicapper to a winner of a professional event. But Lawrie was just getting started.

Lawrie’s first big splash came at the Open, but not the 1999 Open. He made waves at the 1993 Open at Royal St. George’s with a scintillating 65 to rally himself into a tie for 6th place with Ernie Els and Nick Price. Greg Norman’s surgical round of 64 earned him a victory and his second Claret Jug. While Lawrie may not have won, he put the golf world on notice; the former club apprentice wasn’t afraid of the big stage or the bright lights.

To Carnoustie

There’s a certain pride the Scottish have that emanates in their daily life, in their culture, and in sport. They do not bend the knee and they do not kiss the ring. Just one year before the ’99 Open, Scotland had faced one of the greatest soccer teams ever, the ’98 Brazilian machine, in the first round of the World Cup in Paris. Scotland fought hard, but an own goal in the 73rd minute gave Brazil the win. Scotland would lose the rest of their group matches. This crushed the momentum that they had built after a good run in the Euro ’96 tournament. The Tartan Army was down and the country needed a hero to rise up and lift their collective spirit.

Who among them would be next to raise the St Andrew’s Cross in victory? The son of a taxi driver from Aberdeen, that’s who.

The entire final round of the 1999 Open Championship is on YouTube. It’s well worth revisiting if you have the time. Lawrie’s opening shot is a bit of a tugged 3-wood, but he looks calm and ready to put up a low number as he had six years before at St. George’s. The legendary Ben Wright is on the call and there is absolutely no mention of him being in contention because no man had ever come back from such a deficit in a major. (10 shots.)

Lawrie hadn’t shot better than 37 on the front nine all week, but he went out in 34 and came in with 33 on the back for a total of 67, his lowest round of the championship. He would finish at 290 for the tournament. Oddly, Lawrie never was the leader; he would only tie for it when van de Velde tapped in for his triple-bogey 7 on the 72nd hole.

One Man’s Tragedy, Another Man’s Triumph

As you probably recall, the ’99 Open would come down to three men; van de Velde, the 1997 Champion Golfer of the Year Justin Leonard, and Lawrie. They would play 15, 16, 17, and 18 to determine who would win the Claret Jug.

Carnoustie is hard enough, but it was also raining. And with the Open Championship on the line, Paul Lawrie, the former 5-handicapper-turned-apprentice-professional, birdied his two final holes to become the first Scotsman to win since 1985.

You could sense that this was bigger than Lawrie alone;, this was all of Scotland, and Scotland came to play. An entire generation of golfers witnessed one of their own lift the jug, making it seem attainable for them, as well. Robert MacIntyre seems to be the next in line for Scotland, but why not Ewen Ferguson or Connor Syme, or the first Scotsman to ever win the U.S. Amateur, Richie Ramsay? Why the hell not?!

Lawrie has gone on to have a distinguished professional career with eight wins on various tours and a Ryder Cup. More importantly, he has been a steward for Scottish golf, especially for junior golfers.

The Paul Lawrie Foundation gives kids of all backgrounds and levels a chance to reach their full potential. Paul and his wife, Marian, dedicate themselves to the foundation and operate a golf center that includes a driving range, a Par-3 course, and year-round activities for the youth of Aberdeen.

Raise a glass in a toast to Paul Lawrie, who demonstrates the best this game has to offer. The Champion Golfer of the Year in 1999, but a Champion of the People forever. Slàinte Mhath!