Paul Lawrie believes victory in his home city would go a long way towards convincing Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley he is worthy of selection.
Lawrie was part of the European side which triumphed in Medinah in 2012, but accepts time is running out ahead of September’s tournament in Gleneagles.
However the 45 year-old is relishing the chance to contest for his first Scottish Open title at Royal Aberdeen this week, insisting a win would give him a fighting chance.
He said: “It will take some effort now to get in. It will take something special even to impress Paul enough for a pick with where I am.
“I would need to win this week or next week, I feel, to give him enough of a headache to think am I worth the third pick.
“However, I’m not saying it can’t happen. If you’re the winner next week, it would be tough for them to leave you out, so that’s in the back of my mind.
“There’s a long way to go before September and Paul makes his picks. I played against him on Monday, and he was very honest. He said he was sure I would have liked more points than I’ve got on the board.
“But he also said with my pedigree I could easily pop up and win this week or next week, which was a nice thing for him to say.
“I’ll still be going all out, I’m not giving up on it. You never give up when you’re competitive in what you do. You give 110 percent every day, but it would be a huge effort now to get on the team. So my window is closing.”
Speculation has arisen that Lawrie could be in McGinley’s thoughts as a potential vice-captain for the Ryder Cup, however the 1999 Open Championship winner says he has not discussed it with the Irishman.
Lawrie added: “Paul’s been very clear. He announced Sam Torrance and Des Smyth pretty early on, and he said that the remaining two would come from people who are still playing and still competitive and still trying to get on the team, which is probably where my name has maybe cropped up.
“There’s been no chat from Paul to myself about vice-captain. He’s made it very clear he would like me to play on the team, as I’m sure he says to everyone. If I don’t get on the team, then we’ll wait and see if he makes the call and asks me to do it. But if I don’t make the team, whatever job he wants me to do is not a problem. I think every member of the tour would support that.”
Lawrie is eagerly awaiting the Scottish Open’s arrival in his home city, and insists the Royal Aberdeen course is firmly set to stage the tournament.
He added: “The course is looking magnificent. I played a few holes yesterday, and I think if it blows a wee bit then the boys will find it quite tough. The course has been set up really well, but it’s on the tough side, which is what you probably want I suppose.
“However, the condition of it is just second to none. The whole place, with the stands, just looks so different to what it normally looks like when you play here.”
“I was registering yesterday morning, and it’s the first time I have ever put ‘home’ under my hotel details. That was quite nice, as I live about 25 minutes from here.”