Lawrie ends the comedy of errors

Like the burglar only interested in the finest silverware, Paul Lawrie moved with stealth to lay claim to the old claret jug. In a crazy, madcap ending to a major that had heard more moaning and bitching than a school reunion, the 30-year-old Scot displayed a canniness that runs through his breed to win the British Open after a three-way four-hole play-off.

Fantasy golf? It was even better. Lawrie, who had started the final day 10 strokes adrift of Frenchman Jean Van de Velde, had the audacity to shoot a final round best-of-the-championship 67. It enabled him to get into a shootout with Van de Velde, the man sponsored by Disneyland who committed a comedy of errors down the 18th, his 72nd hole, when holding a three shot lead, and American Justin Leonard after all three finished on six-over-par 290.

Lawrie won the play-off in style. His birdie-birdie finishing salvo brought a finality to proceedings that had become semi-farcical. "It was all a bit of a circus," conceded the local lad. But he certainly wasn't complaining. His win brought him riches beyond his dreams, and guarantees him a place on Europe's Ryder Cup team for the match in Brookline in September and also secures him a ticket to the US Masters next year.

Victory certainly wasn't foreseen. His mother and father were in Spain on holidays and missed witnessing their son become the first Scot to win the championship since Sandy Lyle in 1985. Likewise, his wife, Marian, wasn't present either: she was at home in Aberdeen, an hour's drive to the north, tending to their seven month old baby son Michael.

His route to glory is the stuff of dreams. When Lawrie turned professional 13 years ago, he was a three-handicapper and worked as an assistant. A consortium of local businessman urged him to set out as a touring player, and fate took its own course.

"Every kid dreams of winning the Open," said Lawrie. "I remember, as a child, seeing Seve (Ballesteros) win at Lytham. For me to win is huge, quite unbelievable really." Lawrie has stepped into a new league, and his win was all the more fanciful in that he was the first player to emerge from final qualifying since that method was introduced in 1962 and subsequently go on to win the title.

Five months ago, when Lawrie won his first tournament, the Qatar Masters, he played in the final round with Van de Velde. Yet, yesterday, he didn't expect that his 67 would be enough to get him into contention.

In actual fact, the feat had never been performed in a major before. When Jack Burke Jnr won the 1956 US Masters, he had started the day eight shots off the pace but went on to win. So, Lawrie's move became a not-so-silent one, with the huge Scottish crowd jumping onto his rolling bandwagon.

After concluding the regulation 72 holes, Lawrie displayed tremendous maturity in retreating to the putting green, just in case, while Van de Velde was completing his round.

The Frenchman had a three-shot lead playing the last hole but took a triple bogey seven. And Lawrie, consistently told by his coach Adam Hunter, to "stay focused", did just that by rolling in a succession of putts on the green while eager supporters related the story of Van de Velde's remarkable demise. Meanwhile, Leonard was out on the practice range hitting his driver and one-iron, also in preparation.

"Jean had it in his pocket - all he had to do was chip his way down the 18th the first time round, take a six, and it was his. I feel sorry for him, he really should have won," said Lawrie.

Back in 1997, Leonard had performed with similar stealth when winning in Troon. That day, he was five shots behind Jesper Parenvik hitting off the first tee on the last day and strolled home. Yesterday, Leonard reached the 18th believing he needed a birdie, but put his approach into the Barry Burn.,

Later, after Lawrie had secured victory, Leonard appeared in a state of shock. He struggled to comprehend what had happened. On the first play-off hole, the 15th, all three players had pulled their tee-shots. But the American, the only one of the trio who knew what it took to win a major, never got into his rhythm - and, at the end of the shoot-out, Lawrie had two shots to spare on his adversaries.

"As bad as I feel, Jean feels a lot worse. It must be a sick feeling for him," said Leonard.

And, yet, Van de Velde took it all on the chin. "I'll talk about every hole except the 18th," he joked afterwards, using comedy to keep up his spirits. Inside, he was hurting. A lot. He had the championship in his grasp, but let it slip away. His triple bogey seven on the 72nd hole beggered belief. If he was to play the hole a hundred times over, it would be played in a different way. "Maybe I should have laid up," he lamented of his ill-advised shot.

For Lawrie, everything has changed. The four years spent as an assistant now seems a million miles away. he can talk of new cars and new houses and the reality that he has secured financial comfort for his young family.

When everyone in Scotland was looking towards Monty to bring them a major, the surprise packet - who had shot a final round 65 in the 1993 Open to finish sixth behind Greg Norman - proved to be Lawrie. Many a wee dram was drowned in recognition of his achievement by the natives last night.

This week's scheduled trip to the Dutch Open has been postponed so that he can spend some time with his family at home in Aberdeen. Next week, however, he'll rejoin the circuit for the Smurfit European Open at The K Club. Life goes on.