Paul Lawrie awarded honorary membership at Royal Dornoch

Former Open champion Paul Lawrie has been awarded an honorary membership at Royal Dornoch Golf Club as recognition for his outstanding contribution to the sport.

Lawrie, who has enjoyed an illustrious career on and off the course, has a strong affinity with the renowned Highland links, playing in tournaments at Royal Dornoch going back to his days as an assistant professional, before going on to help celebrate ‘400 years of Golf’ in Dornoch in 2016 when he played with the club’s junior golfers.

The 52-year-old also officially opened the new 7th hole on the Championship Course at Royal Dornoch in 2020 and has worked closely with the club through the staging of his blossoming Tartan Pro Tour series in recent times. Lawrie now joins a small number of honorary members at Royal Dornoch, including Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw.

He said: “I’m delighted to accept honorary membership of Royal Dornoch Golf Club. It’s a very special place with a long, rich golfing history and I’ve been playing in events there for my entire professional career – from the days of the Dennis Lovell Assistants events to the club hosting my Tartan Pro Tour tournaments recently.

Paul Lawrie. Image from Royal Dornoch GC

“I’m grateful to [general manager] Neil Hampton and all of the members at one of my favourite places for conferring this honour. I look forward, as always, to my next visit to Royal Dornoch Golf Club.”

Hampton added: “We are thrilled to welcome Paul as an honorary member of the club, given his standing within the game. Paul has been a magnificent ambassador for golf in Scotland, from the grassroots level to the very top of the sport, and he also has a wonderful affinity with Royal Dornoch. We look forward to welcoming him back to the club and toasting this honour.”

Lawrie’s career was transformed in 1999 when, after winning the Qatar Masters, he was victorious in the Open at Carnoustie. The Aberdonian went on to secure eight European Tour wins and played in two Ryder Cup teams, memorably helping Europe achieve a comeback triumph at Medinah in 2012.

Lawrie, who won the Scottish Senior Open in 2019, has also made a significant contribution to golf in Scotland through his much-loved junior series.

The Paul Lawrie Foundation was created 20 years ago and more than 20,000 children have since benefited from the variety of golf activities the foundation delivers. Among the many players Lawrie has supported and mentored, David Law progressed through the foundation from a 10-year-old to become a European Tour winner.

Lawrie, who was awarded an OBE in 2013 for his voluntary contribution to the development of junior golf, also expanded his foundation to support the Highlands in 2018.