Ollie would put faith in Lawrie
European captain would pick Scottish veteran regardless of age
Last Updated: February 10, 2012 11:53am
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Jose Maria Olazabal (L) with Paul Lawrie (R) during the 2009 Royal Trophy in Thailand
European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal is adamant he would have no problem picking 43-year-old Paul Lawrie should the Scot maintain his hot early season form.
Lawrie made his sole Ryder Cup appearance at Brookline in 1999 on the back of his memorable Open Championship triumph at Carnoustie that year.
The Scot could now be in line for an unlikely second having notched up top-ten finishes in his last four European Tour outings.
He capped the run with a resounding victory at the Qatar Masters last weekend which saw him climb to fourth spot in the current European Ryder Cup standings.
"Age is only a figure. And even with Paul being into his 40s makes no difference.
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Jose Maria Olazabal Quotes of the week
With over six months of the season to go and all fours majors still to come there remain plenty of points up for grabs, but Olazabal insists he would have no qualms about selecting the veteran.
Solid player
"I have always seen Paul as a very solid player," stated Olazabal, who played alongside Lawrie at Brookline in 1999 and captained him at the Royal Trophy in 2009.
"Age is only a figure. And even with Paul being into his 40s makes no difference.
"He is the type of player who you need to have on a Ryder Cup team - a player who can combine and pair with other players.
"It is going to be very important for Paul to be in the majors and the WGCs (World Golf Championships) because the Ryder Cup points are huge.
"But then guys like Paul, who have already won over £1million in the qualifying period, are already well on the way and, by getting into those events, you only have to play half-decent and you're going to increase your points."
