A superb performance from Aberdeen’s Paul Lawrie could not prevent Continental Europe winning the Seve Trophy for the first time in seven attempts.
Having gone into the final round of nine singles matches at Versailles, near Paris yesterday with the overall contest tied at nine points apiece there was a chance the Great Britain and Ireland side could extend its run of six successive victories.
But despite Paul Casey and Jamie Donaldson taking one-and-a-half points from the first two matches at St-Nom-La-Breteche, the Europeans rallied strongly with victories including a 4 and 3 win for Gregory Bourdy against Scott Jamieson and a 6 and 4 stroll for Miguel Angel Jimenez against David Lynn, who was suffering from a chest infection.
Scotland’s Marc Warren kept GB&I hopes alive, beating Thorbjorn Olesen 4 and 3. But when Stephen Gallacher, despite two late birdies, went down 3 and 2 to the impressive 20-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero Europe were in the driving seat with just two matches left out on the course.
Press and Journal columnist Lawrie then stepped in make sure the Seve Trophy ended in dramatic fashion.
The Aberdonian was one up against his in-form Finnish opponent Mikko Ilonen when he hit a great drive down the par-5 17th fairway, but then pushed his long-range approach to the green right into trees.
But as Ilonen, who had driven into rough, put his third shot around 12 feet from the flag Lawrie played delicately out of the rough over a bunker and ran his ball to within 18 inches for what turnout to be a match-winning birdie.
It levelled the team scores at 13 points apiece with Chris Wood’s match against Francesco Molinari still out on the course. But just as the Italian produced the match-winning half point against Tiger Woods for Europe in the Ryder Cup at Medinah, he did the same again for captain Jose Maria Olazabal by holing a 10ft birdie putt on 16.
Lawrie looked on but was satisfied he had played his part.
He said: “Mikko has had a quite good year so it was a good win for me. And I had to win the match to give Chris a chance to make the last match count, but sadly he lost it.
“It was a pressure situation and it always good to come out of them with a win.”
It will also not have been lost on Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley how Lawrie bounced backed from the 6 and 5 mauling he and Gallacher were handed by Nicolas Colsaerts and Gonzalo Fernandez Castano on Friday.
From his three matches over the weekend Lawrie took two-and-a-half points to enhance his Ryder Cup credentials.