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Lawrie drives to Tour rookie title
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Peter Lawrie has become the first Irish golfer to carry off the European Tour's rookie of the year accolade. The 29-year-old Dubliner finished 56th in the 2003 European order of merit but has yet to win his first Tour title. He was edged out by England's Kenneth Ferrie in a playoff for the Canaries Spanish Open in April, but still ended the season with six top-20 finishes and earnings of $485,200. Although Lawrie becomes the 39th recipient of this cherished award, it was not a vintage year for European rookies as he missed 17 cuts in his 32 starts. He turned professional in 1997 and graduated to the European Tour after winning last year's Challenge Tour grand final. Now he follows in the footsteps of players like Nick Faldo and Jose Maria Olazabal. Six-times major winner Faldo won the European rookie of the year award in 1977 while twice U.S. Masters champion Olazabal sealed the honour in 1986. "This is a great accolade and, when you look at the great players who have won it in the past, it makes me feel very proud," said Lawrie, the 1996 Irish amateur champion. "I...was amazed to discover that no Irishman had ever won it, especially when you think of how well people like Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington played early in their careers on the European Tour."
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