Spyglass Hill, Monterey …
Martin Laird was delighted to grab the early Spyglass Hill course lead with a four-under par 68 on the opening day of the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The Scot didn’t drop a shot on the course named in honour of ‘Treasure Island’ famed Scottish novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson and a former long-time visitor to the region.
Indeed, there is a copy of ‘Treasure Island’ on a shelf in the Spyglass Hill Pro Shop.
Laird was first out at 8am local time and picking-up birdies, and under a preferred lie ruling, at the seventh hole and then back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 ahead of a birdie on the par-5 14th.
Martin Laird shoots a 68 at Spyglass Hill (Photo -@tourmiss)
His group then ended their round some five-hours and 20-mintues later and with clearly pleased.
“I’m real pleased as I played nicely and being first out is always nice as the course was in great condition except it is still very wet under foot hence the lift-clean-and-place ruling in effect,” he said.
“Anytime you can have a round with no bogeys and also four birdies is always nice.
Treasure Island – A copy is located on the shelf in the Pro Shop at Spyglass Hill (Photo @tourmiss)
“It was a real solid day’s golf with a nice par saving putt on my 16th hole and apart from that I really didn’t look like making a bogey all day which also is always nice.
“The course is very soft under food which means you are using extra clubs into the greens so that the ball doesn’t spin back.”
At the end of play in the $US 7.6m event Laird was just inside the top-20 and only three shots adrift of the leading American duo of Brian Gay and Scott Langley who posted 64s on the Pebble Beach course.
