Martin Laird is eager to make a better impression in returning to Kiawah Island where nine-years ago he recorded a best finish in the PGA Championship.
Laird, 38, finished just inside the top-50 in the 2012 championship but since then he has contested just three of the eight ensuing PGA Championships.
Though the good news for the Denver-based Scot is he’s coming off a best result on the four majors with his T38th effort at Augusta National.
He said: “It’s always nice to play in a major but to be honest I didn’t really remember much from 2012 apart from a couple of holes.
Martin Laird returning to Kiawah Island nine years after his best finish in a PGA Championship (Photo – Getty)
“I do remember it being hard, and on the Friday, it was blowing a gale and course being as tough as you’ll ever see. They’ve added 200 yards and the course was already tough.
“The good news is my game feels good. I’ve not been putting good this year. “I’m seeing progress and it’s trending in the right direction.
“One week I’m going to have a great week putting and it would be nice if it was this week.
“Still hitting it nice, game’s been really good, just not scoring as I’d like but trending in the right direction”.
This week’s PGA Championship will be the longest in the history of the majors and while Laird is not the longest on the PGA Tour (Currently ranked 109th in driving distance), he can see it being a real struggle depending, of course, on the pins placement.
Laird said: “I can see if we’re off the back tees that a score in the mid-70s being a great score.
“If they move them up and put soft pins, you’ll see some guys shoot mid to high 60s. They can do whatever they want.
“If we get these conditions with this wind, it all depends what they want to do.
“They could move pins way up and put pins relatively gentle and scoring could be okay but then you could literally depending on set-up make a 10-shot difference on this golf course.”
And Laird reckons he can see a bit of the famed courses at St. Andrews – the Old Course, New Course and Jubilee course and lying closest to the West Sands Beach at the Home of Golf.
He said: “There are a few holes out here that look proper linksy, the scenery, it’s definitely got the feel. It’s not dissimilar to St. Andrews with the big beach running along”.
Laird is out in the morning half of the draw on day one teeing-up at 12.55pm (UK time).
