Dublin, Ohio  …

Martin Laird has won Arnie’s event and now the Scot is dreaming of winning Jack’s tournament after muscling his way inside the top-10 at the Memorial in Ohio.

Laird grabbed four birdies and with just the lone bogey in a round of 68 to be in the clubhouse sharing seventh place at five-under.

His effort continues a good opening 36-hole trend for Laird this season as he has been five-under or better through his first two rounds in eight of 15 events this year on the PGA Tour.

And Laird’s strong showing also ends of run of two missed cuts.

“I am just driving the ball so good at the moment and really putting well and that has been the key this week”, he said.

“Anytime you can do that you have to be playing well, so I am delighted with the effort considering I was two-over par after just four holes yesterday.

“I changed my putter a few weeks ago and it is more a blade style putter and it is ideal on these greens as the green are so very fast.

“But then I am hitting of lot of fairways here this year and thing is, and in contrast to other years, the course is very hard and the greens are very firm and if you are coming out of the rough here this week, it is hard to get it close”.

It was six years Laird was handed the Arnold Palmer Invitational trophy by the now deceased golfing great, and in what was his second of three Tour wins.

And nothing would delight the Scot more than for Memorial host to hand Laird the gleaming crystal trophy late on Sunday.

“It would be nice to add Jack’s event to my Arnold Palmer win a few years ago but there is a still a long way to go”, said Laird.

“Jason has gone to 14-under but there is still a long way to go, so well will see what the weekend brings”.

Russell Knox, despite battling a virus, was escorted off to a random drugs test following his round of 70 to be just out of the top-10 on three under.

The effort has seen Scotland’s top-ranked golfer, and like Laird, also end a run of two missed cuts.

“I played good today and I was happy”, he said.

“A lot of good things happened out there today and I holed a lot of good putts, and it could have been a lot lower as I shave the edge a lot today.

“Fitness-wise I would say I am about 75% so I am not fully shaken what I have but I do feel a lot better today and this time yesterday.”

American Jason Dufner added a 66 to his 65 to race six clear on 14-under with Rickie Fowler next best shooting a 66 to be in the clubhouse at eight-under.