To use the vernacular, it's magic.
Paul Lawrie, at 42 not only a veteran of the championship but a holder of the Claret Jug, could be forgiven for adopting a stance of weary cynicism. Instead, he spent a large part of yesterday wondering at the genius of Tom Watson and, indeed, taking his phone out on a practice round and capturing the great man’s swing on video.
Scott Jamieson, at 27, is preparing for his first major championship with a mixture of disbelief and glee, though he has retained his sobriety when booking his accommodation. “My manager phoned me to tell me there were two apartments available,” said the Glaswegian. “One was three grand and one was four grand. So I said: ‘I’ll have the three-grand one, please.’”
Lawrie, too, had reasons to be cheerful. “It was lovely playing with Tom Watson,” he said of a practice round with the five-time Open champion, and Kenny Ferrie.
“He is a fount of knowledge but, to be honest, you just watch him. You don’t have to ask too many questions. You still feel like a kid at times. I took a video of his swing on my phone at the seventh or eighth. You just watch it and think: ‘This is brilliant, isn’t it?’ He’s a legend. I’m off to practise copying it.”
Lawrie, who won the Open in a play-off at Carnoustie in 1999, hopes he can rekindle some of his former glory, particularly after triumphing in the Andalucian Open In March.
“My Open record for the last wee while has been very poor,” he admitted. “I feel as though I can get in and have a wee chance.”
Like all players with a pedigree of playing on links, he hopes for more than a gentle breeze at Sandwich. “The best wind player? Obviously all the guys who are brought up in it,” he said. “Darren Clarke is very good, Padraig Harrington too. I’m not too bad.”
There is a question mark, however, over the world No.1, Luke Donald. “I don’t know what he’s like in the wind,” said Lawrie, who expressed his delight at the forecast of windy weather for all four days of the tournament.
Lawrie, though, has been there and done it and revels in the memories. “Nothing beats it. The Open is the tournament. I spoke a little bit to Louis [Oosthuizen, 2010 champion] last night and he’s had a ball for a year. It’s hard work and quite tiring. But can you think of anything you would rather be than Open champion for a year? It’s just phenomenal.”
Lawrie is delighted that Jamieson has joined him on the starting line. “You forget that two years ago Scott was on the EuroPro Tour. He only got on the Challenge Tour last year. So his achievements this year already have been fantastic -- and to finish birdie, birdie to get an Open spot says a great deal about him,” he said.
Jamieson has tempered his excitement with a resolve to make the experience worthwhile. “It was pretty cool to get my competitor’s badge out of the packet the other day,” he said. “In a way, I’m still pinching myself that I’m here for the Open. I think that was always going to be the case with my first major.”
However, he added: “I’ll have to keep a level head and be very accepting of not only bad shots, but also bad breaks that will come my way. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do that. I don’t want to just be grateful for being here because that will lead to one thing -- going home on Friday night.”
His experience at Castle Stuart has strengthened him. “I’ve showed I can put a score together under real pressure,” Jamieson said. “Obviously this is a completely different environment but I’ll be looking to treat it as a normal week. If I can do that and play well then hopefully I’ll be at the right end of the leaderboard.”
He has been inspired by the example of another Scot, Martin Laird. “He’s only a year older than me and he’s top 30 in the world. He’s shown it can be done. It definitely makes it seem more attainable,” he added.
“I’m 158 just now, so top 100 is the next target. Every bit of success you achieve brings another possibility within touching distance. That’s what keeps you pushing on.”
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