Lawrie is left feeling chipper as he rejoins elite with Qatar win

Paul Lawrie is back in the world’s top 50 for the first time since 2003 after a flawless performance gave him a second Qatar Masters title yesterday.

The 43-year-old Scot, known as “Chippy” all his career, chipped in twice during a brilliant closing 65 and beat Australian Jason Day and Swede Peter Hanson by four.

Less than a year ago, the 1999 Open champion was down at 272nd in the rankings. Now he is part of golf’s elite group again.

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The victory guarantees him a place in the 64-man Accenture World Match Play Championship in Arizona later this month and the 24-man Volvo World Match Play in Spain in May.

He is on course to win a second Ryder Cup cap 13 years after his first and if he can stay in the top 50 for another seven weeks he will make a return to the Masters at Augusta in April after an eight-year gap.

This was the Aberdeen player’s first success since his long-time coach, Adam Hunter, died of leukaemia in October and Lawrie was close to tears when reminded of that afterwards.

“I don’t think I can play much better than that,” said Lawrie after finishing with a 15 under par total in an event cut to 54 holes because of Friday’s strong winds.

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“I’ve been playing well for a long, long time, but it’s just nice to come out one ahead and shoot seven under.”

It was the joint lowest round of the day.

He added: “When you’ve got a chance to win a tournament you don’t sleep as well the night before and things go racing through your mind.

“You’ve got to get back to basics and I did that. I hit some nice shots coming in.”

Also reminded that his 1999 victory in the tournament was followed five months later by lifting the Open Claret Jug at Carnoustie Lawrie said: “Now wouldn’t that be nice to get that again?”

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As for the Ryder Cup, he added: “I’ve been trying to keep that to the back of my mind.

“If I keep playing as I am, I will get in, there’s no question, but there’s a long way to go and I know as well as anyone that there are a lot of good players.”

The first chip-in was perfectly timed. Lawrie had been caught by Sergio Garcia moments before, but holing out for eagle from just short of the green at the long ninth put him two in front again.

Garcia, six under for the first 11 holes, then bogeyed the 13th and 15th to drop back to joint fifth and, instead, it was Day who applied the pressure.

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The 24-year-old, runner-up in both the Masters and US Open last season, began each half with four successive birdies, but a bogey six on the ninth left him with too much ground to make up.

Lawrie went clear with birdies on the 11th, 14th and 16th and victory was effectively sealed when he chipped in again at the short 17th.

Hanson caught Day by pitching in for eagle on the 16th and matching his two-putt birdie on the last. They were round in 67 and 65, respectively.

Fourth was 45-year-old American John Daly. Down at 543rd in the world at the start of the week, it was the former Open champion’s best display since he was second in the 2009 Italian Open.

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Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, third and fourth on the rankings, finished 12th and ninth, respectively, Westwood sharing his position with Jose Maria Olazabal on the Ryder Cup captain’s 46th birthday.

Hull’s Richard Finch finished in a tie for 25th after adding a third-round 69 to his second-round 74.

Sheffield’s Danny Willett and Leeds’ Danny Denison both missed the cut, Willett after struggling to a 78 in his second round.

Denison only missed the cut by a single stroke after negotiating his second 18 holes in 69 strokes.

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A birdie on the final hole saw Christel Boeljon claim victory by one shot at the Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines.

Boeljon completed her final round in 68, four under par, to edge out overnight leader Ryu So-yeon along with Kim Ha-neul and Diana Luna, who both moved into a tie for second place.

Ryu had a three-stroke lead at the start of the day, but could do no better than a par 72 on the final day, barely comparable to the stunning 11-under round of 61 on Friday that had catapulted her to the top of the leaderboard.

That allowed Luna and Kim to grab a share of second with rounds of 67.

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The quartet had been tied on 20-under par when Boeljon and Ryu reached the 18th green.

Luna completed the back nine in just 31 while Kim also finished in impressive form.

The winner of the British amateur championship is to be awarded a place in the US Open for the first time.

Australian Bryden Macpherson, champion at Hillside last year, will play at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in June, as will American Patrick Cantlay by virtue of leading the amateur world rankings at the end of last season.

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England’s 16-year-old Lauren Taylor, youngest winner of the British women’s title, has also been given a spot in the US Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run in Wisconsin on July 5-8.

“It is appropriate that these champions earn a full exemption,” said United States Golf Association executive director Mike Davis.

“These exemptions reflect our strong partnership with the R&A (Royal and Ancient Club) and the value we place on amateur golf and our support for the World Amateur Golf Ranking.”

Spencer Levin, the Californian who in the week after his 20th birthday finished 13th as an amateur in the US Open, was last night finally on the brink of his first win on the US PGA Tour.

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Now 27, Levin’s impressive US Open show came at Shinnecock Hills in 2004 and since turning professional in 2005 he has passed the 100-tournament mark on the main tour without a first place to his name.

But he built a six-shot lead to take into the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona.