Sean Lawrie is aiming to build on his opening win in the North-east Alliance meeting at Cruden Bay Golf Club.
The Portlethen professional tied with local pro Kevin Duncan after both players returned cards of 68.
Sean, the nephew of former Open champion Paul, said: “I’ll be playing on the Tartan Pro Tour this year.
“I’ll be playing in the north-east winter alliance in the next few months just to keep me ticking over until my first event.
“My first event will be at Kilmarnock Barassie at the start of May.
“Portlethen are also hosting a tournament for the first time on the Tartan Pro Tour, so that will be exciting for me as I’ve been a member there since I was a young boy.
“At the end of the season, I will play in the DP World Tour qualifying school and try to work my way on that.
“At the end of the Tartan Pro Tour there is a European Challenge tour card for the leading player on the order of merit – that’s the goal for me. But I want to win on the Tartan Pro Tour, I’ve came close a few times, so hopefully I’ll manage that this year.
“I’m excited for this season as I feel like I’ve put a lot of good work in with my swing coach Alan Mcloskey.
“We’ve identified areas of weakness from last season and have been working hard on those areas trying to improve.
“Small gains can make a big difference at this level of golf as it’s such fine margins.
“Over the last few years I’ve improved as a player so hopefully all the work I’ve done comes to fruition this season.
“David Law is a big inspiration, he’s someone I’ve played and practised with a lot over the years, so to see him doing very well on the European tour is great!
“There’s so many guys in the same boat as me who are trying to get to that level.”
Competition winner claims Paul Lawrie’s 1999 Qatar Masters scorecards
Meanwhile, Neil McCulloch was the first winner of memorabilia being raffled off to raise money for the Paul Lawrie Golf Foundation.
Neil won the framed 1999 Qatar Masters picture frame and scorecards, and the next prize is the winning scorecards from Paul’s win at the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2012.
There are 50 squares available at £5 each, which can be purchased by calling 01224 865750 or visiting the professional shop at The Paul Lawrie Golf Centre.
All monies raised through these raffles will go towards the development of junior golf all around Scotland.
Laura Beveridge looks to build on best Ladies European Tour season
Laura Beveridge is looking forward to a more relaxed time on the fairways this year.
After finishing top Scot on the Ladies European Tour last season, Laura, 34, will be able to count on the help of her husband Keil being in her bag.
Laura said: “I’m looking forward to my season this year.
“I’m starting off the season in Kenya at the start of February.
“We’ve got a year consisting of 28 events, plus majors, so it looks like a strong schedule.
“Reflecting back on last year, it was my best season by far finishing 32nd and top Scot on the Ladies European Tour order of merit.
“Keil was able to come out and caddy for 12 events last year, which was a huge help. We work so well together.
“He’s also my coach, has been since 2012, and that means he can see my performance in tournaments and knows my game inside out when giving advice and when analysing our rounds.
“He also helps me stay calm – we try to maintain the attitude that this is just my job, and a tournament day is just another day at the office, taking any pressure off the tournament at hand.
“That led to some of my best finishes on LET to date, with a runner-up in the Estrella Damm Spanish Open and a fourth-place finish in the Amundi German Open.
“This year Keil will caddy where possible and we can strive to maintain this run of form and aim to kick on to produce even better results than last year.
“I’ll be practising at Kippie Lodge sports and country club this month in preparation for my season starting in February.
“I’m fortunate to have the support of both Kippie and Saltire Energy.
“It is now 10 years I’ve been a professional golfer, and without the continuous support of sponsors through the ups and downs, seasons like last year won’t have been possible.
“We have some brilliant Scottish talent coming through, some of which have just turned professional.
“I’m excited to see more Saltire flags on the leaderboards, hopefully encouraging more depth in women’s golf in Scotland.”
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