Sir Alex confident Lawrie will do the nation proud . . .

Golf Correspondent

Friday 28 September 2012

It's difficult to put it down in print, but you can imagine Sir Alex Ferguson uttering his well known phrase, "very pwoud".

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Nick Rodger

This time, though, the praise is not being lavished on his Manchester United players. Instead, it's being heaped upon Paul Lawrie, the lone Scot in the European Ryder Cup team.

His focus may be on United's match with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday, but Ferguson will be keeping an eye on proceedings in Chicago over the weekend as Lawrie, and the rest of Team Europe, battle to retain the famous gold chalice at Medinah.

As a staunch Aberdeen supporter, Lawrie worshipped the work of Ferguson during the glory-filled years at Pittodrie. Those were the good old days, of course, when the dandy Dons were trampling over the Old Firm and conquering Europe. Now, it's Ferguson's turn to be a supporter. "I'm pleased for him personally, but also as a supporter, because I think he is the kind of guy a Ryder Cup team needs," said the decorated Scot. "He's consistent, he's always been in contention over these past couple of years and he's obviously capable of bringing home a point here and there that could prove crucial. He's the only Scot in the team and, of course, we're all rooting for him. He certainly won't let Scotland down."Lawrie's golfing renaissance has been an uplifting tale and Ferguson has enjoyed observing the resurgence. The former Scotland manager knows all about nurturing young sportsmen, having assembled his own conveyor belt of talent in Manchester, and the 70-year-old son of Govan appreciates the trials and tribulations that come with success. Lawrie's 1999 Open Championship success at Carnoustie thrust him on to the global stage but, from that high, there were the lows of a slide down the golfing order in the years that followed. The clamber back up the golfing ladder to the giddy heights of a re-appearance in the Ryder Cup for the first time in 13 years has added to the level of respect Ferguson harbours for this rock-hard golfer from the Granite City. "It's a marvellous thing at this stage of his career," he added. "Some people may be a little surprised that he's once again at this high level, but I'm not. He's always had that talent, as he showed as long ago as 1999 at Carnoustie. "I think, though, that winning the Open then at that comparatively young age might even have created complications for him. When you are suddenly thrust into that kind of success, with all the attention and much of the nonsense that comes with it, it can be hard for a relatively inexperienced boy to cope with. "There is also the pressure of trying to repeat that level of success, which comes to everybody who wins a big prize in any sport. It can take some time to recover what he had that won him the title in the first place. The other thing about Paul, of course, is that he's a straightforward family man, an unpretentious guy who might have found all that attention and celebrity a bit strange. Now Paul is a mature player and he is obviously at the top of his game."This weekend is another chance for Lawrie to make Ferguson, and the nation, very proud again.

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Sir Alex confident Lawrie will do the nation proud . . .

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