Laurie Canter: Building Momentum and Belief on the DP World Tour

Momentum is a funny thing in golf. When it’s on your side, the game feels effortless — putts drop, confidence builds, and results start going your way. Right now, Laurie Canter is very much riding that wave.

Just the other week, he rolled in a 100-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole at the Genesis Championship in Korea — a moment that not only sealed a runner-up finish, but also vaulted him back up the DP World Tour Rankings and into the conversation for PGA Tour dual membership in 2026. It was the kind of putt that turns momentum into belief — and belief into opportunity.

That magic moment in Korea wasn’t a one-off. Laurie’s been quietly putting together an impressive 2025 season. He kicked off the year in style with a win at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, holding off Pablo Larrazábal and Dan Brown in a playoff to claim his second DP World Tour title in two years.

Laurie Canter won the 2025 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship

Now, with just a few weeks left in the season, he’s firmly in the mix — playing some of the best golf of his career, with the confidence and composure that come from experience hard-earned.

I caught up with Laurie on Monday — his 36th birthday — during a very chilled nine-hole practice round at Yas Links ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Walking alongside him, you could see the quiet confidence of someone who knows things are clicking.

Laurie Canter interview during Monday's practice round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” he said, smiling as we made our way down one of the fairways. “I love playing in the desert. This time of year’s always been good to me — the courses, the conditions, the style of golf out here. Hopefully I can build on that momentum.”

And momentum is the word. That putt in Korea didn’t just lift him up the leaderboard — it lifted him mentally.

“I was just looking for a solid week,” he told me. “I holed that putt, a couple of results went my way, and suddenly I finished second. I kind of felt like I’d stolen it a bit — but I’ll take it! Hopefully it sets me up to finish the year strong.”

Laurie spoke candidly about the rhythm of his game and how, throughout his career, he’s tended to play his best golf in bursts — especially during the European winter swing.

“I do tend to play my golf in spells,” he said. “If you look at my career, I’ve tended to play well this time of year. I still need to figure out how to get the best out of myself from May onwards — but outside of that window, it’s been happy hunting.”

That self-awareness shows how much thought he puts into his craft. He reflected on the last few years — particularly getting his first DP World Tour win in 2024, which he said lifted a huge weight off his shoulders.

“Getting that first win was massive,” he said. “It just gives you a bit of belief — you know you can do it. It makes planning easier, too. You’ve got a schedule, you know what’s coming. But really, I just try to keep improving. If you focus on that every day, the results look after themselves.”

Laurie Canter during Monday's practice round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Laurie was quick to credit the people he’s surrounded himself with. That morning, he’d been playing with Marco Penge, fresh off his own run of form, and he admitted it’s motivating to see peers performing at such a high level.

“Being around people like that is inspiring,” he said. “You can’t help but look at what they’re doing well and think about how to get a bit more out of yourself. I’m kind of entering what I’d call the second phase of my career — I’m 36 today — and I still want to keep pushing, improving, staying at the top end of the Tour.”

From the win in Bahrain to that miracle eagle in Korea, Laurie Canter’s 2025 season has been one of belief, resilience, and growing momentum.

He’s playing with freedom, fuelled by confidence and self-awareness, and heading into Abu Dhabi, he looks every bit like a player ready to turn a great run into something even bigger.