Lawrie this week returns to Carnoustie to compete in the British Seniors Open in a field containing nine Scots, including former eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie.

He says returning to Carnoustie always rekindles memories of what happened 25 years ago.

“It’s always nice to come back to places that you’ve won tournaments,” he added. “Whoever you are, it’s special to do that.

“Especially how it looks out there as that’s how it looked when I won here in 1999. The rough was up and the tall grass looks great on the mounds and dunes. I’m looking forward to it as it’s always nice to play here.

“I was 30 when I won here, so that was still quite young to win something of that size. They say you are normally a little older than that when you kind of, not peak, but win big tournaments like that.

“At the time, you just do what you do, but, as time goes by and think that nobody else [who is Scottish] has done it since and you then realise how big it really was.

“At the time, you know you have won The Open and it’s magic and things are happening, but you don’t really realise the magnitude of it until a bit later when you have maybe stopped playing so much and all these guys are trying to win it and nobody has done it.

“For me, [the British Seniors Open] is the biggest senior major as it’s where we are from and it should be the best seniors in the world who are playing here this week and it would be nice to topple them all.”