Lawrie plays the numbers game

GOLF: Peter Lawrie has spent some time crunching the numbers and has come to the conclusion that he can afford to skip this week's Mallorca Open, the final tournament before the elite 60-man field for next week's Volvo Masters is determined.

"The only reason I'd entered (Mallorca) was if there was any danger that I wouldn't make the field for Valderrama, which was one of my targets for the season," remarked the Dubliner, who yesterday informed the European Tour of his withdrawal.

In truth, Lawrie has another perfectly justifiable reason to bypass Mallorca: only last week, he became a father for the first time when wife Philippa gave birth to daughter Jessica. Although he hasn't played competitively since the German Masters a month ago, and with a place in the field for Valderrama all but assured barring some freakish results in Mallorca, Lawrie is only too aware that a week spent at home is more in the interest of his family.

"To be honest, golf's been on the back burner for the past month or so. I haven't done anything . . . but one of my goals for the season was to make the Volvo Masters and, if there had been any chance that I could be overtaken and excluded from the field, I would have played in Mallorca. But I've looked at the numbers, analysed the situation, and I can't see it happening," said Lawrie, who has three top-five finishes on tour this season.

In actual fact, Lawrie can once again start hitting some practice shots at home this week safe in the knowledge that he will be making a second appearance in the season-ending tournament on the European Tour.

As things stand, he is 53rd on the Order of Merit - the field is confined to the top 60 players on the money list - and he is €38,202 clear of Brian Davis, the player in 60th position. To give Lawrie some more breathing space, Davis has decided to play in this week's Walt Disney Classic on the US Tour rather than safeguard his place in the field for the Volvo Masters.

Davis's absence from Mallorca should act as an extra incentive to Damien McGrane, who is close to securing a debut appearance in the Volvo Masters. The Meath man is currently 62nd in the Order of Merit and needs to jump up at least two places on the money list after Mallorca to earn his ticket to Valderrama.

He is only €2,066 behind Davis, who currently holds the last qualifying place, but the Englishman's absence makes it entirely feasible for McGrane to leapfrog him in the money list.

McGrane is one of three Irish players in the field for Mallorca, which also includes Graeme McDowell - playing for the first time since his top-five finish in the American Express championship in San Francisco - and Gary Murphy, who must produce a season's best performance if he is to gatecrash Valderrama.

The Heritage-attached golfer is 78th on the money list and may need to finish in the top-two in Mallorca to qualify for the season's finale. The entry for Mallorca is dominated by Spaniards, with world number six Sergio Garica and Ryder Cup colleague Miguel Angel Jimenez - the two previous winners of this tournament - returning to play in a field further strengthened by the inclusion of Jose Maria Olazabal.

Given their positions inside the top 15 on the European Tour Order of Merit, the three Spaniards are the top-ranked players in the 120-strong field.

While Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley have a week off before heading to Valderrama, this is a big week on the Challenge Tour for four Irish players. Michael Hoey and David Higgins, in fifth and ninth position respectively, have genuine aspirations on overtaking Fredrik Widmark at the top of the Challenge Tour rankings after this week's Grand Final in Italy, while for Stephen Browne and Colm Moriarty it represents an opportunity to secure full cards on the regular tour for next season.

Browne, who claimed his full card this season via the qualifying school only to struggle after undergoing swing adjustments, made the choice in recent months to concentrate on the Challenge Tour and that decision seemed to be justified when he won the Kazakhstan Open. Now, he is 24th in the Challenge Tour rankings and within touching distance of claiming one of the automatic cards on offer to those who finish inside the top-20 on the secondary tour's money list.

For Moriarty to jump into an automatic tour card position, he would have to secure a top-two finish in this week's Grand Final. As things stand, he is 40th - still, making the Grand Final (confined to the top 45 on the money list) represents considerable progress for the Athlone man.

Wes Short Jr claimed his first USPGA Tour victory when he defeated Jim Furyk on the second play-off hole at the Tournament Players Club in Las Vegas to win the Michelin Championship after both players finished on 21-under-par 266.

Short eagled the 16th and birdied the last to force the play-off and then parred the par-three 17th for the win after Furyk had fired his tee shot into the water.

Harrington closed with a three-under-par 69 for a 10-under-par total of 277 and a share of 39th place.