Laird lands play-off boost with Canadian Open second

Martin Laird’s best performance in nearly two years has secured his spot alongside his fellow Scot, Russell Knox, at the starting gate for the PGA Tour Play-off series later in the year. Having slowly but surely been returning to form in recent weeks after slipping outside the world’s top 200, the 33-year-old finished joint second, one shot behind Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, in the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Ontario.

Laird’s highest finish on the PGA Tour since claiming third spot in the Frys.com Open in October 2014, it catapulted him up to 134th in the world rankings and 79th in the Fedex Cup standings.

A jump of 46 spots in the latter means that he has achieved the target that forced him to miss out on the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart earlier this month, namely to be involved in the end-of-season Play-offs on the US circuit.

“That puts a big smile on my face,” admitted Laird. “I wasn’t really too worried about it with the way I was playing, but now I really don’t have to worry about it at all. I can look forward to playing in the first couple of weeks of the Play-offs now, which is nice.”

Laird, a three-time PGA Tour winner, narrowly missed with birdie putts at the closing two holes as he signed off with 67 to finish just shy of clubhouse leader Vegas along with US Open champion Dustin Johnson and Spaniard Jon Rahm.

“It was a great week and this is probably one of best ball-striking weeks I’ve ever had in these tough conditions, but I’m a little disappointed as I hit great putts on 17 and 18 and they didn’t go in,” added the Scot. “When the one at 18 was halfway to the hole, I thought to myself, ‘I’ve made this’. I read it about half a cup out on left and halfway to go it was on the left edge of the hole, but it never moved the rest of the way.”

Feeling he needed to stay in the US to try to improve his Fedex Cup position, Laird, an Aberdeen Asset Management ambassador, missed the Scottish Open for the first time in eight years earlier this month. “It was obviously a tough decision to make as it is my favorite tournament of the year,” he admitted. “Castle Stuart is also a venue I really like and have played well at in the past. But I look forward to coming back again next year and supporting my home Open.”