Paul Lawrie’s 20-year unbroken run in the Open is under threat as the Aberdonian struggles with back and foot injuries.
The Challenge Tour yesterday announced Lawrie’s involvement in the Scottish Challenge at Spey Valley on Thursday but the former Open champion contacted organisers during his final round at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Par 3 Championship yesterday to inform them he was pulling out.
Lawrie, who has played in every Open since 1998, said: “There’s no way I can play next week and I’ve let Ian Stoddart know I won’t be playing. I played here with next week in mind but there’s no way I can compete and I don’t want to take a place away from someone else who may have a chance of kicking on.
“It’s disappointing as I would have liked to have played.”
When asked if he would be fit in time for the Scottish Open and the Open, Lawrie said: “Right now I’ve honestly got no idea. I’ve been pulling out week by week and hoping it would get better but that doesn’t seem to be happening unfortunately.
“I have entered the Irish Open, the Scottish Open and the Open but I’m not sure. Right now getting fit for the Open would be the goal but we’ll have to see how it goes.
“Some days I feel fine but there’s no way of knowing when it’s coming. If I knew I could dip or gain some height but it’s an unexpected thing. When I played Madrid and Morocco, my foot collapsed when I was playing and there’s no way I can do that.
“These guys are too good when you are fit so there’s no way I can do that when I’m not fit and I’m certainly not at the minute.”
