Lawrie takes Ryder Cup to 2014 host Gleneagles, would like to play again

GLENEAGLES, Scotland -- Paul Lawrie has ambitions to captain Europe in the Ryder Cup one day -- but he is focused on retaining a playing role when the trophy is defended in his home country in 2014.

Lawrie, the only Scottish player on the victorious European team at Medinah, brought the golden chalice to Gleneagles, the venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup. He beat newly crownded FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker 5&3 in the singles as the visitors came back from 10-6 down to claim an outright win and retain the trophy.

Lawrie, who claimed two European Tour titles this season and is ranked 28th in world, believes he will be in even better form when the Ryder Cup takes place at Gleneagles in central Scotland in two years. And he does not have his sights set on immediately succeeding Jose Maria Olazabal.

"First and foremost, I want to play on the team," said the Aberdeen native. "I think the captain will be picked around February so by then I believe I will still be roughly where I am in the world rankings. So I can't see them picking me as captain, and to be honest I'd rather play and give myself a chance of getting on the team.

"In the future I'd definitely like to do it, but I think just now I'm getting better as I get older as a player, so 2014 is just too soon for me," he added. "You don't know what's going to happen down the line, but right now I feel very competitive at 43 and I can't imagine I'm going to be any less so in two years' time.

"I think I'm getting better as I get older rather than the other way, so I'd like to think I'll be on that team at Gleneagles in 2014."

Lawrie was still savoring the triumph after flying into Gleneagles on a helicopter with the trophy in hand.

"It was a special victory because it's a tough crowd over there," he said. "You take it a bit in the neck from their spectators because they want the Americans to win badly, so to turn the score around from 10-6 down to win is just a huge achievement by everyone on the team.

"I don't think anyone wanted Jose Maria to be a losing captain so we wanted to make sure we did all we could for him."