Paul Lawrie misses Scottish Open cut in final European Tour event

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Former Open champion Paul Lawrie received confirmation he had made the right decision to end his European Tour career after missing the cut on his 620th appearance.

Lawrie, who lifted the Claret Jug at Carnoustie in 1999 and won seven other titles as well as being part of Europe’s ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in the 2012 Ryder Cup, has been hampered by a back injury in recent years and will focus his attention on the senior circuit from now on.

The 51-year-old is exempt for the Open Championship until the age of 60 but has yet to decide whether he will continue to compete in the game’s oldest major.

Speaking after a second round of 79 in the ASI Scottish Open, Lawrie said: “I would say that I’ve obviously been fortunate enough to have been a decent player, to have won a few (tournaments) and every win is special because I never thought I’d win any to be honest.

“Never thought I would play in any, never mind win any.

“Obviously The Open was out of this world and to have your name on that is unbelievable. So it’s been a great time. Had a blast.

“But today shows exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing. I can’t play at this level when my back’s terrible so it’s the right thing to do.

“I don’t want to play in tournaments and just making up the numbers. That’s not what I’m about. If I’m stopping a young boy coming in and having a game, having a career, I don’t want that.

“There’s no chance I can win tournaments at this level. So if I can’t win tournaments there’s other things that I can be doing, and I don’t mean that to sound flippant. I’m just a big believer that you don’t hang about.

“When your time’s up, your time’s up. On you go.”

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