An injury update from Paul Lawrie is just about become a regular occurrence. At least this time, there is a touch of clarity about his long standing groans and creaks. If his foot wasn’t painful, then his back was and if his back was fine then his foot would be in agony. And then both his foot and back were sair at the same time. After years of prods, pokes, manipulations and surgical advice, Lawrie has finally got to the root of his hobbles and hirples thanks to the combined nous of two experts in the field of aches and pain. Well, let’s hope he has.
“I have ruptured a tendon in my foot and it definitely needs surgery so at least I know what’s going on,” said Lawrie, who closed his season down at the end of June in an effort to salvage his career. “This is the first time we’ve got to the bottom of it. Stuart Barton, the physio, was the first guy to look at it and he is pally with Gordon Mackay, the surgeon, and the two of them have got together and Gordon will do the surgery. I’ve seen loads of people down the years but this is a positive in that we know what it is and we’re doing something about it. Hopefully by January, I’ll be fit to go again.”
Away from the rigmarole of injuries, Lawrie’s vast and varied golfing interests have now led to the 1999 Open champion setting up his own sports agency, Five Star. When his young protégé, Sam Locke, turned pro in the immediate aftermath of winning the silver medal at the Open last month, Lawrie was quick to bring the teenager into his new stable. It’s been quite an eye opener.
“I have always been a player who just focussed on playing and didn't do the other stuff,” he said of the duties involved with player management. “I was never a good enough player to have the distractions and play. But you do realise there's a lot of work involved in looking after these players. It's things like medical insurance for the players, the little bits and pieces that need to be organised, that you don’t appreciate.
"The plan at the moment is for me to look after Sam Locke, David Law, my son Craig and myself and see how we go. I have been through it with management companies, good and bad. I know what is required and what is good and bad for these players. And, if we get better at it and big players feel we can look after them, then we'd look at that. But, at the minute, I'm going to walk before I run.”
Given his sore bits that’s probably a good idea. Having a canny shoulder to lean on came in handy for Locke on his professional debut on the Challenge Tour is Sweden recently. After a 72 and a 68 to start, the 19-year-old crashed to a 81 on day three. Welcome to the harsh world of pro golf. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” said Lawrie. “But I said to him, ‘every player has these moments, we all go through days like that.’ The huge positive was that he shot two-under on the Sunday. To come out after an 81 and shoot under-par shows he can put stuff behind him pretty quickly. He’s 19 but he’s mature to be able to do that. He’s enjoyed it. He’s had a couple of tough weeks but that was the idea, throw him in and see how he does. It might take him time but he’ll get there.”
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