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ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT SCOTTISH OPENJuly 10, 2013Paul LawrieINVERNESS, SCOTLAND Q. I take it these are two of the most exciting weeks of the year. PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, my favourite two weeks. Obviously your National Open is very, very important to everyone and the Open, when it's in Scotland, no matter where it is, but when it's in Scotland, those two weeks, being in your home country and the Home of Golf, it's cool. Q. Do you relish playing at home still? PAUL LAWRIE: Love it. Absolutely love it. Three of the best weeks of my career have came playing golf in Scotland, so The Scottish Open would be very nice to add to those three. But if not this week, then maybe we'll go down next week and try next week. Q. How does Castle Stuart stand up in the litany of the golf courses around here? PAUL LAWRIE: It's good. I've always liked it. I came up before The Scottish Open was here for quite a few rounds of golf and just loved it. It's just what links golf is, wide off the tee but you have to take the right line off the tee; if the pins are tucked away a bit to get a better angle, it's quite clever. But it needs a little bit of breeze or scoring is very low, but that's the same on any links course, not just Castle Stuart. Q. Is it a welcome preparation for The Open? PAUL LAWRIE: I think it's very good preparation. The last two Open winners have played here in the tournament, so that says that it's not harmed them an awful lot if they have won The Open the following week. I think it's great preparation. It's a little strange that more people don't add this tournament to their schedule the last two or three years because it's perfect preparation for The Open‑‑ Q. Inaudible ‑‑ PAUL LAWRIE: I really don't have any opinion to be honest. Some weeks you play better the week before and some weeks you need a rest, so I tend to just do my schedule. Q. How is the form? PAUL LAWRIE: Game is all right. Tee‑to‑green's been pretty good. Putting's been a little iffy but been feeling better the last few weeks. Been working on something pretty simple so I'm hoping this week will be the kick‑start of my year. Looking forward to it. It should be a good week. Q. Better tell me about the trousers. PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, I've been wearing the tartan a little bit this year. I played with Mr.Paul Thornton in China and he couldn't believe I don't wear tartan trousers being a Scotsman. These are Ian's trousers, he sent me some very kindly. And then we have a photograph on the putting green with all the boys wearing tartan trousers today, so looking forward to that. Q. Good to see Stephen and Marc qualify at the weekend? PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, huge, Marc getting in off the Order of Merit and Stephen getting in through John Daly pulling out; never great to see a past winner not able to play, but great news for Stevie. He's had a good season. Q. Talking about Stephen, I know yourself and Stephen both have foundations, and September is a big month for you. PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, we have a new idea, Foundations Cup, we sold some corporate spots to people. We are having a match against each other at the Renaisassance in September. They are going to play fourballs on the Thursday, overnight stay, dinner, and then singles on Friday and then Stephen and I are going to have a nine‑hole match against each other for the guests to walk around. Should be great fun. Q. Both foundations are doing well? PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, very well. We'll split all money raised. We'll just take off the expenses, him and I will pay that. Q. The balance here between the conditions where sometimes the players like the course to show its teeth‑‑ PAUL LAWRIE: Well, I think a links course needs wind. If there's no wind, the scores will be pretty low, don't matter which course you're playing. Whether it be the Old Course or any, where if there's no wind, these guys are good at what they are doing. They are going to make birdies. I would like a little bit of wind. You don't want it silly. You don't want it 40, 50‑mile‑an‑hour blowing, but you want a little bit of wind. Q. Are you happy enough with the players who have shown out for this event? PAUL LAWRIE: Well, everyone's schedule is up to them in kind of how they do their year and see it. I think we have got a good field. I think we have got a good quality field. I think Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson being here is great news for everyone. Phil was added at the last minute last year, but this year he committed early, which is great for Aberdeen Asset Management, because they are great supporters of golf in Scotland, so we need a quality field for them. They put a lot money in. Q. You had a brilliant year last year, probably the only blot on the copybook was missing the cut here. PAUL LAWRIE: That was the only thing I would want to replay from last year to be honest, and so if only you have one thing you're disappointed about, then obviously it was a fantastic year. But missing the cut in your National Open is never good. It happens obviously from time to time, like we saw in Ireland a few weeks ago, a few of the boys missed the cut. But I'm back this year and no more than any other year, I try my hardest on every shot I hit and every tournament I try my best. Q. Wasn't so long ago, we were talking about the lack of Scots competing at the highest level, and now we have 18 here and ten at Muirfield. PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, it's coming back again. Obviously a few of the boys, I think I, myself, I look at players above me on the Order of Merit and who are doing better than me and I use that at motivation to start playing better and winning again. So if I'm doing that, a lot of players are doing that, as well. And we are all friendly, the Scottish boys on Tour, we all get on great together and we all eat together, but we all want to beat each other when the tournament starts on Thursday. So it's healthy competition, but friendly, but you need that. You need to look up to people and try to get to where they are. Q. McDowell is not here this week, his comments certainly a subject of much discussion the last couple of days that it's devalued The Scottish Open. PAUL LAWRIE: Well, Graeme sent me a text. I made a few comments to his comments and he sent me a text explaining what he was trying to say, and it came out all wrong according to this text he sent me. Fair enough. You get a little angry when you kind of read stuff like that about your own National Open. I'm not so sure any player should kind of make about other people's kind of‑‑ but Graeme's entitled to his opinion and he said it came out wrong, so put to bed for me. Q. Can it get any better than this, the weather at The Scottish Open? PAUL LAWRIE: Yeah, yesterday was almost a bit too warm to be fair. Yesterday has a little bit of breeze, a little bit cooler. This is the weather we want, a little bit of weather to challenge the boys like it's going to be next week at Muirfield, so far, it's perfect. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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