Peter Lawrie has managed to survive the pre-qualifying experience, likened to that of a "torture chamber" by aspiring players, for the second week running - but the reward for his entry into the Alfred Dunhill Championship, starting today at the Houghton club in Johannesburg, is a date with the dawn patrol.
The 26-year-old Dubliner was one of 13 qualifiers to emerge from 295 players in the pre-qualifying tournament held on Tuesday. Having played in last week's South African Masters on the Sunshine Tour, where he made the cut, Lawrie's success in qualifying for this week's tournament is probably more merited in that it is a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and South African Tour.
Lawrie is without a full tour card and plays his golf on the European Challenge Tour, but a top-10 finish this week would earn him an automatic place in next week's South African Open. He faces a tough task. In today's first round, Lawrie - who has been paired with Indian Arjun Atwal and Scotland's Derek Crawford - has been handed a 6.30 a.m. start.
His success in surviving pre-qualifying (where two other Irish players, Raymond Burns and Jim Carvill, failed to qualify) means the Irish representation in the Alfred Dunhill has been increased to four players. James Loughnane, who is based in South Africa and currently 12th on the moneylist, David Higgins, who is making his first appearance of the year, and Paul McGinley are also playing.
McGinley retains fond memories of the Houghton course. In last year's tournament, won by England's Anthony Wall and reduced to 54-holes because of rain, McGinley finished in tied fifth position.
This time round, McGinley - who has been paired with Sven Struver and local player Desvonde Botes - is seeking to improve his Ryder Cup points total. He is currently in 13th place in the qualifying table.
Meanwhile, Richie Coughlan will be hoping to get off to a better start in this week's Sony Open in Hawaii than in his seasonal debut in Tucson last week. Coughlan included a triple-bogey and a double-bogey in his first round 78 and, despite responding with a second round 70, he still missed the cut by four shots. Coughlan has been paired with Americans Brian Wilson and Matthew Hall for the first round of an event in which world number two Ernie Els is the favourite.
