Lawrie begins fairy tale reign as Open Champion

Scotland's Paul Lawrie began his reign as Open golf champion today still hardly able to believe it. Just like the rest of the sporting world.

The 30-year-old from Aberdeen, ranked only 159th a week ago, was having to pinch himself to make sure that one of the most remarkable sequence of events ever seen in any championship did actually happen.

But yes, Frenchman Jean Van de Velde, sponsored by Disneyland, really did turn into Goofy and blow a three-stroke lead on the final hole at Carnoustie.

And yes, Lawrie, 10 strokes behind at the start of the day, really did then beat not only Van de Velde, but also 1997 winner Justin Leonard by three in the four-hole play-off.

"I didn't think I had a chance - this is a fairy story," said Lawrie, trying to let the victory sink in, but failing.

"Seeing this thing sitting here (the famous claret jug bearing the names of all previous 127 champions) is just absolutely amazing.

"Every kid dreams about winning the Open. It's a huge thing and it feels pretty damn good, I've got to say.

"Jean had the tournament in his pocket. He chips it down the 18th fairway, hits it on the green, makes six, he's the Open champion."

Instead, Van de Velde somehow found a way to take seven. His second shot, a needless attempt with a two-iron to make the green, bounced off the grandstand, back over the 10-foot wide burn and into dense rough. His third went into the water.

His fourth, after he initially took his shoes and socks off, rolled his trousers up to his knees and climbed down into the mud to contemplate splashing out, was a penalty drop back in the rough.

The fifth was a fluffed pitch into a bunker. The sixth a recovery to six feet and the seventh a brave putt to keep his hopes alive.

"I feel sorry for him. I'm not here to criticise him - he really should have won, but thankfully for me he didn't," added Lawrie.

Rated a 150-1 shot even with only 18 holes to play, Lawrie is now £350,000 richer, with the prospect of bundles more to come as a major champion, and is a certainty for a Ryder Cup debut in Boston in September.

Asked if he had any plans for the money yet, the father-of-two had no hesitation in replying: "I shall be buying myself a Ferrari, I hope.

"I might be buying a new house as well, but I'll definitely be staying in Aberdeen."

The best round of his life, followed nearly four hours later by the best shot in his life, will be remembered for decades.

Yet the story of his triumph actually began at the Downfield course in Dundee a week ago.

Lawrie did not even look like making it into the Open when he stood two under par with nine of the 36 holes in the qualifying tournament to play.

"My caddie told me I probably needed to get to seven under to qualify," he said. "I then played the best I ever have, played those nine holes in four under and eventually made it through by two."

That was the start. The finish was a quite brilliant four under par 67 and, while he did not expect it to be good enough to win, he was delighted anyway - a top four place would guarantee him a debut at Augusta next April.

But first Leonard, needing a par four at the last to beat his six over par total, went into the Barry Burn with his second and took a bogey five.

Then came Van de Velde's comedy of errors and even when Lawrie began the play-off with a bogey five at the 472-yard 15th, so did Leonard and Van de Velde, his mind seemingly scrambled, took a double bogey six.

All three of them then bogeyed the short 16th, leaving television commentator Peter Alliss to describe the action as "abysmal - a total anti-climax."

As if they had heard, all three players suddenly got their acts together. Leonard almost birdied the 17th from 35 feet, Van de Velde did from 15 feet and Lawrie followed him in from 10 to take a one-stroke lead.

Van de Velde's return to the 487-yard 18th gave him a chance to make amends, but he went into the rough and this time had to lay up.

Leonard went next, but from the fairway the world number 12, so inspired when he came from five back to triumph at Troon two years ago, paid a second visit to the burn.

Lawrie sensed his moment had arrived and from 221 yards he drilled a four-iron which ran up to within three feet of the flag.

In the end he could have taken three putts and still have claimed the greatest prize in the sport, but he needed only one.

Lawrie, Leonard and Van de Velde finished with six over par aggregates of 290, the highest winning total in the Open since Ireland's Fred Daly won at Hoylake in 1947 with 293.

He was the first player from outside the world's top 150 to win a major since the ranking system was introduced in 1986.

He was also the first qualifier to win since the exempt system was introduced in 1963.

It was also the biggest last-round comeback to win any major in history.

But, most special to him, he was the first Scot to win since Sandy Lyle at Sandwich in 1985 and the first Scot to win on home soil since James Braid at St Andrews in 1910.

But it all did not seem quite real to him or to anyone else as he made his way back home to his wife Marian and sons Craig and Michael.

A full family celebration had to wait. His parents and brother are on holiday in Spain.

When they all gather, though, it will be quite a party.

Lawrie was, on his own admission, nothing special when he decided to become an assistant professional at Banchory on leaving school at 17.

"I worked there for four years, did all my training, did the club repairs and all that stuff and then went out to see if I could play this game," he revealed.

He joined the European tour in 1992, finished sixth in the 1993 Open at Sandwich and had his first victory in Spain in 1996 and then another in Qatar this February.

But all that did not prepare anybody for this moment. The moment he became Open champion. Really.

The Scottish fans had come thinking they might see Colin Montgomerie finally win a major. Or even Andrew Coltart, paired with Tiger Woods in the fourth last group.

Neither happened and nor did Woods charge through as many expected. Instead Lawrie achieved what seemed a mission impossible.