Lawrie proves worthy master of the long haul

It was a test of endurance as well as golf and Paul Lawrie mastered both here yesterday to win the Wales Open. Some great things have happened to the player from Aberdeen, notably accelerating from 10 strokes behind to mug the Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999 and last year when he chipped in from the Valley of Sin at St Andrews to win the Dunhill Links Championship. Aberdeen had not seen so much money since they struck oil.

Lawrie experienced the sinful Valleys here 12 months ago, losing a sudden death play-off to the Irishman Paul McGinley at the 12th hole, in a championship abbreviated by rain, and finished joint second with Daren Lee.

Last year Lawrie played beautifully from tee to green but the putts did not drop. Yesterday he dominated affairs and took the tournament not from 10th place on the grid but from pole position.

The leaders had to play 36 holes yesterday and Lawrie, following rounds of 67 and 65, compiled a 70 in the morning, to advance to 14 under par for the championship and put his feet up for an hour before beginning the final round at lunchtime. Then he provided spectators with the effect of double vision, going round again in the afternoon in 70.

He finished on 16 under par, an aggregate of 272, five strokes in front of his nearest challenger, the Englishman John Bickerton. Wentwood Hills is not a course on which to play catch up. Lawrie, who stretched his lead with birdies in the final round at the second, third and the fourth, would have had to have disappeared into the River Usk to have lost this one.

Some players, not to mention their long-suffering caddies, were perhaps hoping the rain-affected championship would be reduced to 54 holes or at least they would avoid late nights, early mornings.

Mike Stewart, the tournament director, was on the receiving end of some verbal abuse – no hot food for the early birds completing the third round yesterday – but not from Lawrie, a fellow Scot. He said that playing twice around here was something that would not concern him and he endorsed the power of positive thinking.

Lawrie credits some of his success to the Edinburgh sports psychologist Richard Cox. However, as Dr Cox also works with the Scottish Rugby Union, it is proof that not every silver lining is cloudless.

Lawrie won £183,330 and his caddie, Colin Byrne, thoroughly deserves his slice of the cake. Celtic Manor's homeward stretch is predominantly uphill – it will be redesigned over the next few years – and the people carrying the golf bags were reaching for the painkillers.

Sir Terry Matthews, the owner of Celtic Manor, has invested £140m here and was rewarded with the 2010 Ryder Cup. Next season he has a better slot in the European Tour calendar, offering a bigger prize fund of £1.5m. He lured some leading players here this week by laying on his jet to fly them last night from Cardiff to Minnesota where the final major of the season, the USPGA Championship, is staged at Hazeltine.

Lawrie, who became accustomed here to early morning calls, will tee off at 7.55am in the first round on Thursday with Sergio Garcia and Tom Lehman. It will seem like a lie-in.

Bickerton, who won £122,220, also had a 70 in the final round. "I was never going to catch Paul,'' he said. "He was hot today and played lovely golf but it was nice to hang on at the end for second spot. It is up there with the best performances of my career.''

On the adjoining Roman Road course, there was success for 12-year-old Matteo Rossi, from Caerphilly, who won the inaugural Junior Open Championship. With a handicap of 17, he recorded a net score of 63.

WALES OPEN (Newport) Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 272 P Lawrie 67 65 70 70. 277 J Bickerton 67 67 73 70. 278 M Ilonen (Fin) 70 68 70 70. 279 M Maritz (SA) 71 69 67 72; L Parsons (Aus) 71 69 67 72. 280 I Poulter 71 71 69 69; P McGinley 69 71 69 71; T Immelman (SA) 68 70 71 71. 281 J Moseley (Aus) 71 70 69 71; J-F Remesy (Fr) 73 68 70 70; B Dredge 66 74 70 71; R Karlsson (Swe) 70 67 73 71; R Green (Aus) 65 69 73 74.