Lawrie warms up for Q-School with Portmarnock Links win
The Links at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links
Failing to win would have been a surprise but Peter Lawrie showed that his wind game at least is in reasonable shape for his European Tour Qualifying School quest when he won the best gross in Tuesday's Winter Series outing at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.
The Dubliner, 41, posted a two over par 73 to take the top prize while Portmarnock's Michael O’Donoghue won the nett with a 74 off a handicap of six.
It's Lawrie second successive appearance the Final Stage, which is played at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, the Denis O'Brien owned resort he also represents as a touring professional.
Lawrie failed to win back his card by one stroke 12 months ago but played 28 events this season, 17 of them thanks to invitations and finished 124th in the money list, some €62,000 outside the Top 110 who earn full playing privileges for 2016.
Lawrie will be joined in the first round of what he hopes will be a six round test on Saturday by Damien McGrane, who needs to tee it up if he wants to ensure himself of some kid of category for 2016.
Despite saying in Portugal that he'd "had a great run" and that his mind had been "made up a while," about quitting, he's still keen to play some tournaments in 2016 and must go to Q-School to give himself the best chance of getting into the Irish Open at The K Club next year.
McGrane said before the Portugal Masters that the game was passing him by, adding that players were getting younger and more powerful as he was getting older and shorter.
McGrane and Lawrie as the senior players in a seven-man Irish challenge alongside Ruaidhri McGee, Simon Thornton, Kevin Phelan and young guns Paul Dunne and Brian Casey, who had to come through the first two stages.
