Martin Laird is the very first to admit he’s long been his hardest critic but fatherhood, including the birth next month of a second child has put tournament golf more in perspective.
The US-based Scot has already savoured a professional career the envy of most on the PGA Tour with the now 33-year old having won three times on golf’s biggest stage including the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational and starting later this week in Orlando.
However, it’s also been three years since Laird slipped into a shiny black pair of Texan cowboy boots in capturing the Valero Texas Open.
Martin Laird is the first to admit for too long he’s been too hard on himself. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
It was a victory that earned Laird a start the following week in the Masters but three years on it was the last time he drove down Magnolia Lane.
And now after missing the halfway cut on the occasion of his 200th PGA Tour event at this week’s Valspar Championship the current World No. 192 ranked player looks set to again drop outside the top-200 after being ranked No. 205 last November.
In fact, the last occasion before last last year Laird was outside golf’s top-200 was in 2009 when he leaped from 239th to 108th in winning the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital Open, and then peaking at World No. 21 three years this coming week in winning ‘Arnie’s Event’.
Laird said: “Our first born, Jack has just turned two and we are due a second in five weeks and even with one child it does put everything in perspective.
“Jack’s being travelling with us and if I was to have a bad round it’s not that important seeing your son there waiting for you.
“So after playing with him for just five minutes what happened out of the golf course doesn’t matter because if you were by yourself, you only go back to the hotel room and continue to stew over what happened on the course for a few more hours.
“So becoming a father has definitely changed me and when I am at home I am also a lot better with my time as I will go and practice for a couple of hours and really make sure what I need to get done, done.
“This is opposed to like spending maybe four hours practicing and during that time chatting with a lot of people.
“And given my two-year old boy gets upset every time I leave the house, it’s easy to want to spend more time at home and that will be double the scenario in five weeks.”
Laird’s appearance this week on the Florida west coast was a 10th start on this year’s 2015/16 wrap around PGA Tour schedule with a best of eighth on the last day of January at the Farmers Insurance Open.
And in the 200 PGA events Laird has contested he’s taken home $US 13,061,131 in prize money and that’s been helped by seven other top-3s and another 25 top-10s.
But since winning in San Antonio, courtesy of a trail-blazing last round 63, Laird’s been able to rope-in just one other top-three finish and that was third in a first event of the 2014/15 season.
Legendary Arnold Palmer hands Martin Laird the Arnold Palmer Invitational trophy in 2011 and five years ago this coming week.
He said: “The big goal is to be more consistent and have just a really solid year all year long.
“You only have to look at all the best players in this game and that’s what they do best, and that’s being up their week-in and week-out, and they don’t go through periods of two or three months not playing well.
“And while I used to be my own hardest critic, but it’s funny as I’m not like that anymore because I look back on my early years out here on Tour and I was way too hard on myself.
“I don’t know whether is becoming a father or being out here on the main Tour now for seven years and my ninth year overall, but this is just a game and you have to accept you are going to have good rounds and bad rounds, so you can’t let it beat you up.
Martin Laird wins 2013 Valero Texas Open with trail-blazing final day 63 and a week prior the Masters.
“And this may sound funny but I am making a conscious effort to enjoy my golf again.
“Last year, and I told this to a lot of people, I didn’t want to be on the golf course. It was just a job but this year I am taking all a lot more light-heartedly and I am actually having fun.
“So I am treating it now like it’s my hobby which happens to be my job, and it’s all working out well.
“And with a second baby on the horizon I can’t be out here beating myself up and then go home and chase around the kids.
“Also I am on 33 years of age, and I am a lot more disciplined now in terms of working out, and feeling a lot stronger than when I was 20, so I don’t see why I cannot still get to a level higher than I’ve been in this game.
“And I am not out here to just keep my card as I still have the fire inside of me to play in the bigger tournaments, and not just play in them but compete in them.
“So I feel I have a pretty good thing going at present and if I keep plugging away, I am confident I will get there.”
