Peter Lawrie can breathe a huge sigh of relief now that he has rescued his Tour Card from the abyss.

But it was a close run thing. A Top 20 finish at the Perth International at the weekend meant he finished 109th overall in Europe, just one place inside the margin of error when it comes to securing one's European Tour card for 2014.

With the drama over, the Irish golfer reflected on a strange year professionally when he spoke to Off The Ball last night.

"It was very difficult and all my own fault," admitted Lawrie. "I got off to an okay start to the season, played nicely in the middle of it including a Top 10 at the Irish Open. Then all of a sudden it went pear-shaped. I missed six cuts in a row and eight out of the last 10. So I was really having a dreadful end to the season. It all came to a head when I was 114th in the Order of Merit. That meant I had to go to Perth to salvage my career."

He has been on the European Tour for over a decade which made his problems this year even more stark. Sifting through the reasons for his decline this year, Lawrie believes his driving was the issue.

"I normally get into the Race for Dubai but it certainly didn't happen this year. To be honest I drove the ball poorly. I drove the ball poorly all year and it probably got worse as the weeks went on. It's very hard to make cuts when your not driving it onto the fairway, especially in European Tour golf," Lawrie explained to Joe Molloy.

 ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan