February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Lawrie finished level with Peter Hedblom and Kenneth Ferrie after starting the final round tied for 14th place, three shots behind a group of six knotted atop the leaderboard. Lawrie manufactured a dream finish to get into the playoff with his final-round 66. He birdied 15 and 16, but then bogeyed the 17th hole. An eagle-3 on the par-5 18th hole did the job.
The low trio revisited 18 for the playoff and settled nothing, all having recorded birdies. They returned to the tee and played 18 over again. Lawrie and Hedblom missed the green with their second shots, but Ferrie was nearly dead on, landing his ball 12 feet from the pin. Two putts later, the championship was his. Lawrie and Hedblom shared second place.
Lawrie’s final score of 266 reflected rounds of 67, 64, 69 and 66. Paul McGinley tied for 10th place at 269 (66-66-67-70). Gary Murphy took a slice of the 44th slot at 274 (68-67-70-69), and Graeme McDowell fell all the way back to a 63rd-place tie after a final-round collapse that saw him finish with 277 (65-68-68-76).