World Rankings: Peter Lawrie has leaped 86 places to 156th in the latest golf world rankings following yesterday's maiden European Tour win from a play-off at the Spanish Open.
The 34-year-old fired four birdies in the last six holes before signing for a final round 67 to set the clubhouse target of 15-under-par in Seville.
At one point Lawrie thought he had won the tournament after 72 holes but home faourite, Ignacio Garrido, holed a most unlikely 40 foot birdie putt on the final green to tie for the lead and force a play-off.
"I thought I'd won after 72 holes," said Lawrie, who was waiting in the scorer's hut. "I was telling my caddie Dermot to pack the bags for our nine o'clock flight. Then he holed it and it was back to business."
While the Spaniard was attempting to emulate his father Antonio, who won the event in 1972, Lawrie was seeking to make it three Irish winners in a row.
The first play-off hole was halved in birdies and this time it was Lawrie's turn to hole an outrageous birdie putt on the 18th from 25 feet above the hole. The result forced the quietly spoken Lawrie to burst out into a jig on the green.
When former Ryder Cup player Garrido spun off the green and into the water the second time around the title was Lawrie's after he found the putting surface in regulation from the fairway bunker.
"I'll enjoy this moment for a long time because I've let a Spanish Open slip before," said Lawrie, referring to the 2003 play-off when he and Sweden's Peter Hedblom lost to England's Kenneth Ferrie.
Lawrie graduated to the main tour after winning the Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2002. The following year he became the fist Irishman to win the prestigious Henry Cotton Rookie if the Year award.
Since then Lawrie has recorded at least two top 10s every season, including when he tied third at the Spanish Open in 2005. Yesterday he secured the maiden win at the 175th time of asking and he puts much of the inspiration down to the recent wins of his compatriots.
"When I see these guys winning I say to myself, 'Why can't I do that?' There's no doubt, it spurs you on," said the family man, referring to recent wins by Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and his room-mate on tour Damien McGrane.
By making it three Irish wins in a row he also becomes the fourth Irish winner in seven weeks. "It's nice to keep it in the Irish contingent," he added.
The latest winner also climbed to 12th on the European Order of Merit (€444,292), one place ahead of Darren Clarke. McDowell is fifth and McGrane seventh.
Anthony Kim strolled to a five shot victory in the PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow. The win moved Kim up 21 places to 16th in the latest world rankings.
Padraig Harrington is the highest ranked Irishman at 11th in the standings. He is the only hope of keeping the Irish win run going as he is the lone Irishman competing in this week's Players Championship at Sawgrass.
None of his compatriots are competing in this week's European Tour event in Italy either.
Current leading World Rankings
1 Tiger Woods 21.31pts
2 Phil Mickelson 9.75
3 Adam Scott 6.05
4 Ernie Els 6.04
5 Steve Stricker 5.79
6 Geoff Ogilvy 5.64
7 Jim Furyk 5.58
8 KJ Choi 5.51
9 Vijay Singh 5.45
10 Justin Rose 5.29
11 Padraig Harrington 5.14
12 Stewart Cink 4.93
13 Rory Sabbatini 4.87
14 Henrik Stenson 4.79
15 Trevor Immelman 4.36
16 Anthony Kim 4.05
17 Aaron Baddeley 3.98
18 Sergio Garcia 3.85
19 Luke Donald 3.79
20 Lee Westwood
