Paul Lawrie wins Johnnie Walker by four for second European victory of 2012

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Paul Lawrie, 43, shot a final-round 68 to finish with a 16-under 272 for the eighth European Tour victory of his career.

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Associated Press 

Series: European Tour

GLENEAGLES, Scotland -- Scotland's Paul Lawrie marked the official confirmation of his return to the European Ryder Cup team after 13 years with a resounding four-shot victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship on Sunday.

The 43-year-old Lawrie, who started the final round leading by a stroke, shot a final-round 68 to finish with a 16-under 272 total on the rain-softened PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles that will host the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Brett Rumford (68) of Australia was second for his best finish in two years on 12 under.

Holland's Maarten Lafeber (69), France's Romain Wattel (72) and Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed (65) shared third place on 11 under par.

The win is Lawrie's second European Tour win this season and the eighth of his career.

"It feels pretty good to be Johnnie Walker champion and it's been probably one of the best ball-striking weeks of my career," he said. "But then I putted pretty poorly and shot 4 under shows just how well I have been striking the ball and I've also been hitting a bit longer this week and that has helped."

However, of more importance to Lawrie was the official confirmation of his return to the European Ryder Cup team.

As a result, Lawrie holds the distinction of the second longest period between his Ryder Cup debut in 1999 at Brookline and his appearance at Medinah in Chicago next month.

Ireland's Christy O'Connor Jr. holds the record for the longest gap between appearances at 14 years after competing for the 1975 European team at Laurel Valley in Pennsylvania and returning for the 1989 Ryder Cup at The Belfry in England.

"Confidence-wise the last six weeks has not been easy and I have not played as well as I did at the start of the year," said Lawrie. "But by getting the Ryder Cup situation out of the way, I have played really well and won the tournament, and if you are not going to be the most confident ... going to the Ryder Cup, you are going to struggle.

"However Rory (McIlroy) winning the PGA Championship is a huge lift for the team and for a European to win the last major is massive. So I will be going to my second Ryder Cup playing nicely and hitting it lovely and I'm looking forward to it."

Key Matchups: Ravens vs. Vikings

Posted Aug 16, 2008

By Mike Duffy



Check out three key matchups for Saturday's home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.


The Ravens are set to kick off their preseason home schedule at M&T Bank Stadium against trhe Minnesota Vikings. BR.com breaks down three key matchups to watch heading into the game.



Ravens QB Troy Smith against Vikings secondary



While Smith may have started two games in 2007, the former Heisman Trophy winner has much more to play for this weekend. A solid performance will go a long way into the decision as to who Baltimore’s starting quarterback will be Sept. 7, when the Ravens open their regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Vikings were supposed to have upgraded their secondary, which finished last in the NFL in pass defense in 2007, with the addition of safety Madieu Williams, but Williams was recently sidelined for up to six weeks with a neck injury. Smith could have a big day against a banged-up Vikings defensive backfield.

Ravens LBs Nick Greisen and Bart Scott vs. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson



Future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis isn’t necessarily expected to play more than a few series, which means that Greisen and Scott will have the honor of tracking down Peterson, last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Peterson is a hard-running workhorse that likes to deliver hits just as much as these two Ravens. Expect some big collisions in the first half once Baltimore’s linebackers hit scrimmage.

Ravens LT Chad Slaughter vs. Vikings RDE Jared Allen



The reigning NFL sack champion signed a very lucrative contract to bolster Minnesota’s pass rush, and he’ll bring a lot to Slaughter, who was working construction just over two weeks ago. Slaughter has the arm length to keep the speedy Allen away from Troy Smith, but he needs to really focus on footwork to counter Allen’s varied pass-rushing moves. Slaughter said that he is beginning to get his football legs under him after performing well against New England’s Richard Seymour, but Allen is even more of a challenge.