Paul Lawrie wins Open de Andalucia

Scotland’s Paul Lawrie achieved his first European Tour win since 2002 with a gutsy 1-shot victory in the Open de Andalucia, but the former Open Championship winner had to call on all his experience to land the spoils.

Leading by a shot overnight, Lawrie must have feared the worst as he opened his final round with bogeys on each of the first two holes, while England’s Mark Foster made birdie on both to take the lead.

Foster soon opened up a three-shot lead, but he wasn’t able to maintain the momentum of his challenge as a trio of bogeys from the fifth hole scuppered his run. Lawrie also dropped a shot at the fifth as Chilean Felipe Aguilar threatened to challenge.

Having reached the turn in 37, Lawrie started back with a run of three successive birdies, interrupted by a par at the 13th before another gain at the next hole to reclaim the lead. Sweden’s Johan Edfors – co-leader after the first round, came out of the pack to challenge the Scot; a trio of birdies of his own from the turn , but he couldn’t get past the determined Scot, and after having tied Lawrie for the third time for the lead in the final round, a costly three-putt bogey dropped him back off the pace.

By the time Lawrie had reached the 18th hole, he held a two-shot lead and could afford to take bogey on the last hole. It was perhaps just as well, as his approach found the sand to the right, and his sand-save resulted in a missed three-footer for par and a level par 70 to close on 12-under par.

Edfors’ round of 68 pushed Chilean Aguilar down to third spot, while Kenneth Ferrie – who shot a round of 60 in round three to be one shot off the lead – crashed to a 75 and slipped back into a tie for eleventh place.

A three-way tie for fourth place saw Foster, Dane Jeppe Huldahl and Rapahel Jacquelin close on 9-under par while Sweden’s Christian Nilsson finished alone in seventh place a further shot behind.

“It’s been a long time – 2002 seems a hell of a time ago,” Lawrie said after his win, as he pocketed €166,000. “I’ve had a few second places in there, but all of a sudden we’re there again.”