Defending champion Paul Lawrie is keen to repeat one of the best performances of his career at this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The 44 year old was a four shot winner at The Gleneagles Hotel 12 months ago to secure his eighth European Tour title.
The former Open Champion had secured his place on The 2012 Ryder Cup Team a week earlier, and admits having that pressure lifted allowed him to produce his best golf.
“It definitely came at a nice time,” said the Scot, who became the first home winner for five years.
“I was confirmed as being in The Ryder Cup team before we teed off, which was a big bonus, because obviously I had not played in it for a long time. I wanted to play on it pretty badly, so when that was taken away, it was almost a bit of a relief that I was in and I could play golf again.
“I played lovely this week last year; tee to green was one of the best performances of my career. I didn't putt very well here last year but still won by four, which tells you how good I played.
“It’s always nice to come back and defend a tournament, never mind a Scottish tournament, so I’m looking forward to it.”
With Gleneagles hosting the 2014 Ryder Cup, there is certain to be plenty of talk about potential contenders for Paul McGinley’s side next year, and Lawrie is keen to put his name in the hat early.
The points race begins next week in Wales, and Lawrie added: “I’m keen to get a few points up early like I did last time.
“I definitely need to get off to a good start in The Ryder Cup year; it helps build the confidence to kick on and cement your place.
“I wanted to get in José's team, because I've got a lot of respect for him and I've known him a long time and I knew how much The Ryder Cup meant to him.
“But I also felt it would be easier to get into the Gleneagles team if I got on José's team. If you go 15 years since you've played in The Ryder Cup, I'm not sure if that's doable for somebody. So I thought I had to get in the Medinah team to give me a better chance of getting in the Gleneagles team, which I've done.
“It would be unbelievable to get on the team again, but when it means that much to you, it hurts your performance, and I managed to get the balance right last time.
“It's a hard thing to get right - I got it wrong a couple of times. I was desperate to get on Sam Torrance's team and tried too hard and played too much and got it wrong, but I got it right last time. I really want to be on the team here, that would be cool.”
