Super straight Peter Lawrie believes he can get back into the winning groove in 2010.

The Castleknock Tour pro, 36, will begin his quest for a second European Tour title in this week’s Joburg Open alongside Darren Clarke, Gary Murphy, Michael Hoey and sponsor's invite Niall Kearney.

And he’s convinced that the ban on box grooves this season will see him reap even greater rewards as one of the straightest hitters on tour.

Lawrie said: “I am delighted with the change from the box grooves to the V grooves this year.

“I hit the ball a whole lot straighter than most - I think I was fifth on tour for driving accuracy last season.

“So coming from the fairway is going to help a lot with the groove changes. Hopefully it will give me a bit of an advantage.”

Lawrie has slowly built up his career since he graduated from the Challenge Tour and became the first Irishman to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year title in 2003.

He has earned more than €3.2m in prize money and joined the long list of Irish tour winners when he beat Ryder Cup star Ignacio Garrido in a play-off to lift the 2008 Spanish Open.

And while he was denied a second tour win last year when Simon Dyson grabbed the KLM Open after a three way playoff, he’s happy with his progress and reckons he's still got a lot more to achieve.

He said: “I should have won a tournament last year but c’est la vie. I am feeling very comfortable out there on tour now.

“And I am still ambitious. It can be difficult to balance home and work life with three small children, but I feel my career is progressing nicely.

“It certainly doesn’t seem like seven years since I came through the Challenge Tour and I still feel young in golfing terms.”

Lawrie is using the Joburg Open as a serious warm-up for the start of the tour’s three-event desert swing in Abu Dhabi next week.

His coach Brendan McDaid will be with him at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club to make sure he’s firing on all cylinders.

Things are also going well for him off the course and he’s set to sign a major sponsorship deal with a Swiss bank.

He said: “I have re-signed with Castleknock for another year as well and I have a deal with Titleist as well so that’s more than enough for me.

“Now it’s a question of getting the most out of my game because it’s not easy out there.

“Every year the standard is improving and there are guys coming out on tour who want to take your place. I just have to work harder.”