Martin Laird is ready for the step into the top order of world golf if he can win the £3.1 million Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the young Scot made all the right moves at Kingsbarns on the first day.
The 27-year-old, born in Glasgow but now based in Arizona, came agonisingly close to winning the first of the lucrative FedEx Cup events in the USA last month but it was his failure on his two visits home in the last two years to play the links golf he was brought up on that had really troubled him.
With his US Tour rights more than secure for another year and his world ranking up to 61st, he is poised to become the first Scot to break the world’s top 50 in almost exactly three years and felt able to come home again to play the Dunhill, an event he had been keen to play for some time and which is close to his parents’ home in Upper Largo.
Laird proved beyond question he remembered how to play links golf with a brilliant 66 at Kingsbarns, the best of a glorious October day amongst the top names coralled at the southernmost course of the three in play, to claim a share of the first round lead with Martin Lafeber of the Netherlands, Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez and Ryder Cup vice-captain Thomas Bjorn.
“It was a bit better weather than at The Open in July,” he said. “You didn’t have to hit it 10 feet off the ground like we were doing at The Open. I can handle that a bit better.
“I was excited to come back and prove I can play links golf because my record at Turnberry and St Andrews these last two years wasn’t very good. This was much better.”
Laird arrived back in Scotland on Sunday, missed most of the Ryder Cup excitement due to practice rounds and joined former champion Robert Karlsson for his first run around Kingsbarns.
“There’s a couple of holes he helped me with: the par five 16th he told me not to go for the flag, just get it to the front of the green,” he said. “When I got there I wanted to hit five-iron, but remembered what he’d said, hit to the front and made an easy birdie.”Bogey-freeA further birdie at the 17th completed a bogey-free card and secured the share of the lead, but Laird is now aiming higher.
“What’s held me back has been my putting and since I started working with Dave Stockton jun at Firestone in August, I realise that was the only thing.
“If I get better on the greens and keep my ball-striking where it was, I can move up the world rankings and challenge in the majors.
“All I have to do is look at Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell winning majors and that gives me the motivation. I’ve played with Martin a few times in the States.”
Even losing the Barclays event to Matt Kuchar in a play-off due to what many considered a lucky shot by the US Ryder Cup player gave Laird confidence.
“I’m surprised at how well I took it. You do look back and think what a chance, but I didn’t feel I had my best game that week.
“It wasn’t as if I played as well as I could and came up short, I really felt I had a few more good shots left in me, so it gave me confidence even though it didn’t work out.”
What little Laird saw of the Ryder Cup is a further motivation.
“It would be the pinnacle for me, you just have to look and see how much fun those guys were having,” he said. “I know they say it was the most pressured they’ve ever been but they also clearly had fun, and anytime you see that combination it’s got to be a goal.”
The member of the Ryder Cup team who performed best was Martin Kaymer, shooting 68 at Kingsbarns and believing he played far better than he had at Celtic Manor, despite the obvious mental tiredness.
Ross Fisher shot a three-under 69 while Graeme McDowell bounced back from his heroics on Monday with a very respectable two-under 70, but the best of the “team” was a backroom boy in Thomas Bjorn.
The only member of the Ryder squad at Celtic Manor to not be among the banner names at Kingsbarns, the Dane didn’t take it personally and rolled to an impressive 66 on the Old Course.
“I’ve done it before,” he said about recovering well from Ryder Cup celebrations. I knew how much it could take out of me and that I had to get to bed and not stay up to 4am.
“You need the sleep, it was long days on and off the course last week and some of the guys haven’t had the chance to come down yet.”
Lafeber was playing with football legend and fellow Dutchman Johan Cruyff at Carnoustie and was thrilled with his score.
“A great start, particularly on this course, and I made two birdies on the 17th and 18th; six birdies in seven holes on that stretch is fantastic, but I maybe lost a bit of focus when I played the front nine.
“To play with Johan and Sir Bobby Charlton was great and they know when to pick up. Everybody enjoys it, especially in this weather.”