Top-ranked Scot Martin Laird has reminded the golf world not to write off Tiger Woods.
Woods is returning to competition to tee up in this weeks $US 8.5m WGC – Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
Martin Laird says the golf world should still look up to Tiger Woods. (Photo - Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
The current World No. 28 hasn’t played since hobbling off last May after just nine holes of the Players Championship in Florida.
Woods’ last four round event was playing alongside Laird on the final day of April’s U.S. Masters where Woods mounted one of his trademark final day charges before finishing fourth.
Woods had been in the field when Laird captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and an event Woods was looking to capture for a third straight year.
Woods competes this week in the city to boast the first-ever Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting with the sobering statistic of having won the first three WGC – Bridgestone Invitational’s from 1999 and then four in succession from 2005 to 2009.
It’s for this reason Laird is not prepared to write off Woods capturing an eighth that would lift his total Tour earnings to $US 4m shy of $US 100m.
“It doesn’t matter who it is because you never want to see a fellow player out injured for a long time,” said Laird.
“And especially Tiger because he so good for the game and you only have to look at all the coverage the tournaments will get on TV now he’s back playing.
“But then golf, in his absence, has definitely changed. It’s got a lot younger in terms of the winner’s we’re now seeing out here on the PGA Tour, and first time winners.
“There’s a lot of guys coming out of Q-School or the Nationwide Tour and winning in that first year.
“That can only be good for the game and it shows how much strength it out here now.
“In contrast, when I first came out here on Tour about four or five years ago, guys like that weren’t winning tournaments.
“It just shows that no matter what Tour these guys are competing as they come out feeling they can win.
“When you look at Tiger’s record, and also in the event, people have forgotten very quickly just how good he was.
“He was hands down the best player in the world for years, and years, and years.
“There’s all this talk of guys being the next Tiger Woods but no one’s record out here even sniffs his.
“There’s a lot of good players out here and that’s something that should not have been placed on Rory’s shoulders, and Rory agreed with that saying: ‘Hey, I’ve only won three times’.
“Tiger by that time had already won something like 15 events.
“But you always want to be playing against all the best players in the world and Tiger’s definitely one of the best players even though he’s been struggling with injury.
“I played with him the last round at Augusta and he hit the ball so good. And he gets his game back to anywhere like he played that day and it won’t be long before he’s winning again.
“He came close at Augusta and it’s one of the toughest golf courses we’ll play all year.”
Laird is competing in Akron this week for the second straight year and has been drawn to play alongside American Heath Slocum for the opening round in an event boasting just 76 players and each guaranteed to play all four rounds.
The event is Laird’s first since his marriage in Steamboat Springs, Colorado last Saturday.
Among the guests were fellow PGA Tour players Nick Watney, a two-time winner this year and victor in the last WGC event, the Cadillac Championship.
Also at the wedding was in-form Aussie Jason Day and American Kevin Stadler, who acted as an ‘usher’.
Present as well was Laird’s South African born coach, Mark McCann who walked the course yesterday (WED) with Laird, and accompanied by putting guru, Dave Stockton Jnr.
It was also a year ago this week that Laird began working with Stockton Jnr who also works with likes of Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and now Lee Westwood.
“It was here last year that I first started working with Dave and he’s helped so much with my putting,” said Laird.
“I saw that he and his father are now working with Lee and then they’ve been working with Rory since just before the U.S. Open, and then he putted so well to win at Congressional.
“So Rory could see the benefits, and for me Dave’s made me relax a little more when I’m putting.
“It’s like he’s been able to free me up when I putt, and especially on greens like here at Firestone as you need to have a good feel as they are so fast and sloppy.”
