Lawrie playing like a Hero

SSP Chawrasia © Getty Images

Pádraig Harrington calls it pampered syndrome and while Peter Lawrie isn't getting five-star treatment or appearance money for playing in the Hero Indian Open, he's performing like a man trying to justify his existence.

In Lawrie's case, it's a sponsors invitation — his sixth in as many starts this season — and he's justified it by propelling himself into a share of ninth place at the halfway stage of the Hero Indian Open.

Harrington reckons that if you're treated like a star, you'll play like and star. At least, that's one of the reasons he thinks he won against a weak field in Indonesia last year. 

"I was one of the big names and given the penthouse suite and was driven around iii a limousine all week." Harrington told Colin Callander in the latest issue of National Club Golfer. “Golfers are human and we respond to being pampered.

"I’m willing to bet that was one of the reasons why Chris DiMarco won in Abu Dhabi a few years back (2006). Chris is a nice player but he would never have experienced treatment like he got at that tournament and he responded with a great performance.

"When you’re treated like a star you end up playing like a star. It’s no coincidence that you see a disproportionate number of players winning when they are the headliner in the field.

“You can’t tell me that it doesn’t help Ian Poulter when he turns up as the marquee player in an event on the continent or when he’s the centre of attention at the Ryder Cup.

“Lee Westwood is another case in point. He’s often the star attraction in Asia and he’s done very well there. It’s the opposite to what used to happen to Colin Montgomerie in America. He was always the top dog un Europe but on the PGA Tour he was just another player.

"When you play in the States everyone is equal. You could be put out first in the field or last. Colin wasn’t used to that treatment and it affected him. It’s one of the reasons he never fulfilled his potential on the PGA Tour but that’s changing now that he’s a big name 0n the Champions Tour.”

Lawrie has missed just two cuts from six starts since he failed to keep his card at the Q-School last year and a one under 70 was enough to leave him tied for ninth at Delhi Golf Club on three under par.

He's just seven shots behind leaders SSP Chawrasia (65-67), who leads by one from Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh.

The top two are specialists around the extremely tight Delhi Golf Club. Chawrasia has won there twice while Siddikur, who recently recovered from a back injury, was the last man to win this prestigious championship in 2013.

Chawrasia’s second round of four under par 67 – he is the only man in the field not to have dropped a shot this week – saw him move to ten under, while Siddikur posted a 68 to take second spot, with Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and the Swede Joakim Lagergren tied for third on six under.

The two highest ranked men in the field, Anriban Lahiri and Miguel Angel Jiménez, will try to chase down the Delhi Golf Club specialists over the weekend, with Lahiri posting a fine 65 on day to get back to four under for the tournament and Jiménez moving to one under after a second round of 72.

Lawrie knows the course is right up his street and he's plotted his way around nicely so far, making his first and only bogey of the week so far in the second round.

He's missed few fairways or greens and just needs his putter to warm up a little to threaten the leaders and challenge for what would be a fairytale victory.

Gareth Maybin, who like Lawrie is trying to win back his card, shota 70 to make it with ease in joint 25th on level par.

But Kevin Phelan and Damien McGrane both missed out with the Waterford man, another player looking to win back full playing rights, carding a second successive 73 to miss the cut by two shots,

McGrane missed 10 greens in a second succcessive 74 to miss the cut by four.

Hero Indian Open after 36 holes

132 S Chawrasia (Ind) 65 67,

133 S Rahman (Ban) 65 68,

136 J Lagergren (Swe) 65 71, C Nirat (Tha) 65 71,

137 R McEvoy (Eng) 70 67, P Peterson (USA) 69 68,

138 P Marksaeng (Tha) 68 70, A Lahiri (Ind) 73 65,

139 M Fraser (Aus) 69 70, M Perera (Sri) 67 72, J Roos (RSA) 70 69, P Lawrie (Irl) 69 70,

140 M Korhonen (Fin) 68 72, A Otaegui (Esp) 70 70, R Lee (Can) 65 75, A Atwal (Ind) 70 70, C Del Moral (Esp) 69 71,

141 J Hahn (USA) 70 71, M Tullo (Chi) 72 69, M Jiménez (Esp) 70 71, S Sharma (Ind) 69 72, J Palmer (Eng) 70 71, K Richardson (Aus) 67 74, A Da Silva (Bra) 71 70,

142 J Janewattananond (Tha) 68 74, M Jaini (Ind) 73 69, A Cheema (Ind) 72 70, T Khrongpha (Tha) 68 74, B Evans (Eng) 72 70, S Kapur (Ind) 73 69, G Maybin (Nir) 72 70, A Velasco (Esp) 71 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 71 71, L Weber (Fra) 68 74, D Chopra (Swe) 70 72, P Meesawat (Tha) 71 71, C Pigem (Esp) 70 72, A Wall (Eng) 72 70,

143 W Ormsby (Aus) 75 68, P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 73 70, R Khan (Ind) 71 72, J Knutzon (USA) 71 72, A Groom (Aus) 74 69, J Randhawa (Ind) 74 69, M Orrin (Eng) 71 72, C Kumar (Ind) 69 74, V Riu (Fra) 71 72, S Soderberg (Swe) 72 71, C Paisley (Eng) 75 68, P Pittayarat (Tha) 72 71,

144 R Wattel (Fra) 70 74, J Singh (Ind) 72 72, J Campillo (Esp) 71 73, J Parry (Eng) 70 74, M Mamat (Sin) 73 71, M Tabuena (Phi) 72 72, K Kumar (Ind) 72 72, N Thangaraja (Sri) 71 73, K Pratt (Aus) 75 69, C Lloyd (Eng) 74 70, A Malik (Ind) 75 69, S Chikkarangappa (Ind) 69 75, J Scrivener (Aus) 72 72, M Kumar (Ind) 71 73, S Walker (Eng) 72 72, D Chia (Mas) 68 76, O Chouhan (Ind) 71 73, A Vongvanij (Tha) 72 72, N Holman (Aus) 71 73,

CUT

145 A Que (Phi) 74 71, S Brazel (Aus) 70 75, K Joshi (Ind) 71 74, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 69 76, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 73 72, A Tadini (Ita) 73 72, A Hortal (Esp) 73 72, M Ford (Eng) 72 73, S Singh (Ind) 70 75, L Slattery (Eng) 72 73,

146 J Higginbottom (Aus) 73 73, S Barr (Aus) 68 78, R Gangjee (Ind) 74 72, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 70 76, J Colomo (Esp) 73 73, C Plaphol (Tha) 71 75, K Phelan (Irl) 73 73, B Ritthammer (Ger) 70 76, S Lewton (Eng) 75 71,

147 D Singh (Ind) 75 72, S Das (Ind) 77 70, J Kruger (RSA) 77 70, D Woltman (USA) 75 72, L Jensen (Den) 74 73, M Both (Aus) 70 77, S Baek (Kor) 72 75, A Raj (am) (Ind) 71 76,

148 V Kumar (Ind) 72 76, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 71 77, C Lee (Sco) 73 75, D McGrane (Irl) 74 74, N Elvira (Esp) 75 73, B Easton (RSA) 78 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 72 76, C Muniyappa (Ind) 76 72,

149 P Maddy (Eng) 72 77, M Nixon (Eng) 75 74, G Bhullar (Ind) 77 72, F Ali (Ind) 72 77, H Gupta (Ind) 72 77, A Chadha (Ind) 75 74, A Lohan (Ind) 74 75,

150 R Finch (Eng) 76 74,

151 A Rohana (Sri) 77 74, R Santos (Por) 75 76, V Chopra (Ind) 72 79, S Hend (Aus) 75 76, S Kumar (Ind) 72 79, U Park (Aus) 76 75, S Dwivedi (am) (Ind) 77 74,

152 S Manley (Wal) 78 74, M Dharma (Ind) 75 77, S Khan (Ind) 79 73, T Murray (Eng) 76 76, S Hutsby (Eng) 76 76,

153 M Kawamura (Jpn) 77 76, C Bouniol (Fra) 79 74, A Pavan (Ita) 73 80, B Henson (USA) 72 81,

154 T Wiratchant (Tha) 77 77,

155 S Singh (am) (Ind) 75 80,

157 T Chinnappa (am) (Ind) 77 80,

166 D Gleeson (Aus) 81 85