Martin Laird returns to PGA Tour competition later today (THUR – US time) after a nightmare six-month injury and COVID-19 lay-off.
Laird’s last appearance on the Tour was last March in contesting the opening round of Players Championship only for the Tour to cancel their showcase event later that night.
The 37-year old triple Tour-winning Laird returned home to then pack-up his young family and move to a new dwelling in Denver, Colorado.
Scotland’s Martin Laird returning this week to the PGA Tour after a nightmare injury and lockdown lay-off (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
The Scot kept himself busy but then a week prior to his expected return to competition in the June 11th starting Charles Schwab Championship in Texas and the first event since the lockdown, the three-time Tour winning Laird collapsed in excruciating pain unable to walk and resulting in an emergency dash to a local Denver hospital.
He said: “I was in lockdown like most people for a few months and I was getting ready to come back onto the Tour and the week before I was going to travel to Fort Worth I tore the Meniscus ligament in my left knee.
“We’d only had about two to three weeks in our new house when it happened.
“My left knee had been bothering me since about February and while it didn’t feel that odd, I managed to play the Farmers Insurance, the Phoenix Open, Tiger’s event in L.A., Puerto Rico and then the one round of the Players.
“The injury meant I couldn’t walk and, of course, I couldn’t play and so I had immediate surgery on my knee and then found myself back on the couch for another month.
“I then started working on my game to get ready for the new PGA Tour season this week at the Safeway Open in California”.
In fact, Laird returned to competition in last week’s secondary Korn Ferry Tour event in Illinois as a warm-up ahead of today’s (THURS) starting 2020/21 main tour opener in the Napa Valley.
He said: “I enjoyed playing the Korn Ferry event as it was my first tournament in some six months.
“Everyone was sort of saying it will be a good warm-up but I went there wanting to play well and I’m happy with my game.”
As well, Laird indicated in moving to Denver he joined two local clubs including the famed Cherry Hills club, and a host venue for three past U.S. Open’s and two PGA Championships while the course hosted the PGA Tour’s 2015 BMW Championship.
Laird said: “Once my knee felt stronger, I joined Cherry Hills and really enjoyed that while I’ve played a bunch of other courses including Meridian, and where I’ve also joined.
“I’ve also been playing nicely out there and I’m excited to be teeing-up this week.
“I’m not into next week’s U.S. Open so that will be nice to give my knee a rest and then I’m planning on playing three in a row from there.”
And helping Laird this week in the 100+ Fahrenheit heatwave conditions of Napa Valley is the Scot’s good record in this wine-growing region of the States.
Laird has contested every Safeway event since 2014 with a best of T3rd in his first year.
He said: “With the course not being the longest golf course to play, there’s some tight pins on the front of the greens that some guys just can’t get to if you don’t hit it high.
“And you know, I hit it high. So, coming in with mid irons, coming in landing soft is definitely a big advantage as opposed to maybe hitting a slightly longer club and coming in a little flatter.”
MEANTIME –
Four-time Tour winner Stephen Gallacher will lead a field of seven Scots teeing-up today (THUR) in the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura.
The Bathgate pro has been a regular visitor to The Algarve and secured a best finish on the Victoria course of third in 2013.
