Aberdeen football fan Paul Lawrie is set to miss the club's first major final in 14 years, in a bid to boost his Ryder Cup goal.

The Pittodrie side take on Inverness Caley Thistle in the League Cup showpiece on March 16 but the golfer is scheduled to play in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco on the same weekend.

The former Open champion, one of Europe's heroes in the Miracle of Medinah two years ago, is languishing in 65th place on the European qualifying list and needs to make a major push over the next few months if he is to make September's match at Gleneagles.

He said: "It's not great to be pulling out of a golf tournament in a Ryder Cup year because your football team are in a cup final - but we've not been in many cup finals. I'm not sure, but I think I will probably go to Morocco. If you want to get in the [Ryder Cup] team then you need to play golf and not go to cup finals."

Lawrie has not had a top-10 on the European Tour since January last year but the 45-year-old is determined to impress European skipper Paul McGinley.

He added: "I had breakfast with Paul in Abu Dhabi. He was honest. He said he thought I would have earned more points at this stage. I thought I would have been better myself. But like he said, there's still time for me to get going and earn points."

South African Charl Schwartzel is out to pip compatriot Richard Sterne to an unprecedented hat-trick of Joburg Open titles this week. The former Masters champion had back-to-back wins at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club in 2010 and 2011 but Sterne also has two to his name - in 2008 and 2013.

Aside from the £171,000 first prize there are three spots on offer at this year's Open at Royal Liverpool as the Joburg Open is the second event in the qualifying series. Three players, not already exempt, who finish in the top 10 and ties will secure a place for the 143rd Open Championship at Hoylake in July.