Nobody could ever accuse Paul Lawrie of being a fair weather golfer.

"There's no one who prefers playing in a jacket more than me," said the 44-year-old, who tends to be as content wallowing in woeful weather as the proverbial pig would be in the you know what.

Lawrie was in the sty otherwise known as the media centre yesterday for his pre-tournament address ahead of the defence of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and, as the rain hammered down on the roof, the Aberdonian was in his element.

Who knows what Mother Nature has in store for this part of the golfing world when the Ryder Cup arrives here next September but, if she does decides to unleash her fury, then no one would like to be swinging in the rain more than Lawrie. Even Paul McGinley, the European skipper, knows that.

"I sat down with Paul in China [in May] for about an hour, which I'm sure he did with all the players for Medinah," revealed Lawrie, who played a vital role in Europe's epic Ryder Cup triumph in Chicago last season.

"He mentioned that he felt we might have waterproofs on a little bit this time next year. I kind of like playing in my jacket and he made that point. I got the feeling then that he wanted me on his team and he did a good job of filling me with confidence and making me feel good about myself. He's good at that and he's a great lad. His man management skills are excellent, and I'd love to be part of his team."

This time last year, Lawrie was riding the crest of a wave. His four-shot victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship put a triumphant tin lid on his qualification for the Ryder Cup team and completed his golfing resurgence. He had to do it the hard way, of course. When qualification for the 2012 match began at the European Masters of 2011, Lawrie was down in 150th spot on the world rankings. When the prolonged process resumes again for the 2014 clash of the transatlantic titans next week, the current world No.60 will be in a far more loftier position, even if his game is not in as rude a health as it was 12 months ago.

If he does make McGinley's 12-man side, his own personal Miracle of Medinah will still take some topping, though. "Would getting on the team next year be a greater achievement? No, I don't think so," said Lawrie, who is not actually competing in next week's Wales Open, the first European qualifying event. "I'm in a far healthier position going into qualifying compared to last time. So I think having not played in the Ryder Cup for 13 years and getting myself back into that from where I was will always be one of the biggest achievements of my career."

Lawrie, who has not registered a top-10 finish on the tour since he claimed a share of seventh in his first event of the year in South Africa, added: "As long as you're in the top 50 from the start of next year then you've got every chance. If you're not, then I would say maybe it's impossible to get in. It means so much to play in the majors and the WGC events. Not only do you have to be in them, you have to perform in them. I'm 60th now and need to get going again. It's been frustrating, but I feel pretty close to kicking on."

Lawrie's fellow Scot, Marc Warren, has certainly done that over the last couple of years. At this stage of the 2011 campaign, the 32-year-old, who won the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2007, was down in 573rd on the world rankings as he battled to regain his full playing rights on the main circuit. Having decided to switch coach, clubs and management companies during that turbulent spell, Warren felt he needed to take a few steps back before he could make significant strides forward in his career.

Now, bolstered by a share of 12th place in the US PGA Championship a fortnight ago, the former World Cup winner is up to 99th on the global pecking order and playing some of his finest golf. Some have questioned his "bottle", after he allowed the Scottish Open, the Spanish Open and the BMW PGA Championship to slip from his grasp, but Warren insists he has not been scarred by those set-backs and believes a third European Tour win is just around the corner.

"Trying to win tournaments is nowhere near as pressured as going back to the Challenge Tour and trying to get my card back," he said. "So I don't think I'll ever be scarred. I wouldn't not take on a shot because I failed in the past. I've put myself in positions in bigger tournaments than I've ever done in the past and that's why I made all of those changes; to do that and do it consistently. If I keep doing that, the wins, I would say, are inevitable."

Warren and Lawrie may be in fine fettle, but two other Scots are struggling to make the first tee today. Richie Ramsay is a doubt with a niggling neck injury while Stephen Gallacher has rated himself "40-60" after he tweaked his back bending down when he was washing his car.