Scotland’s Martin Laird is looking to make it a seventh time lucky, soaring with an eagle on the opening day of the renamed World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in Mexico.
Laird returned from a three-week competition break with his Denver-based family in posting a three-under par 68 in the £stg 5.6m event being again staged on the El Camaleon course laid out just to the south of Cancun along Mexico’s southern Caribbean shoreline.
American Matt Woolf brilliantly set the early clubhouse lead by two shots with a stunning 10-under par 61 and in his first event in three weeks since the 22-year old was runner-up in Las Vegas.
Laird is also back in the competition saddle since the same Shriners Hospital Open and sharing 11th place in the defence of his title in the ‘Gambling Capital of the World’.
Martin Laird posts a three-under par 68 on day one of the Wide World Technology Championship at Mayakoba (Photo – Getty)
Laird said: “I am happy with my score as I really feel like I am hitting the club well despite fighting my swing a little bit. I also scrambled well and pleased to have finished strongly in eagling the 13th.
“I then hit a really good up-and-down for par on 14 and the same on 16, and then a nice birdie putt on 17 and finished off with a good up-and-down from 75-yards out at the last for a par to finish.
“Yes, happy with the score and while I felt I was a little off, I am very happy to finish at three-under given I didn’t feel too comfortable out there.
“Overall, I feel my game is good. I played nice the first couple of events. I had good week in Vegas defending the Shriners, so I feel like my game been good for a little while
“I had three weeks off and played nicely back home in Denver, and was excited to get here. Unfortunately, like today, I didn’t hit it quite like I wanted but I’ll try and fix that this afternoon. I feel like I am in a good spot. My short-game is really good right now, so if I can get my swing a little better then I can have a really good week here and move on to next week in better shape.”
Laird first competed at Mayakoba in 2008 and had his best finish 11-years later in 2017 with a share of 13th place.
He said: “This is my seventh visit here and I really enjoy it here while the weather has been really, really good this good, and while we had a little rain today, the golf course is in good shape”.
Fellow Scot Russell Knox was also out early grabbing five birdies in a two-under par 69.
Meantime
Aberdonian David Law and Craigielaw’s Grant Forrest head the field of 10 Scots contesting the Portugal Masters at Vilamoura
Forrest birdied two of his closing three holes while Law started his day with a birdie hat-trick for the duo to share 10th place with a pair of three-under par 68s.
Swiss-born Italian Nino Bertasio went within two shots on the third-year anniversary in matching England’s Ollie Fisher’s 2018 Tour milestone of a score of 59 with an impressive 10-under par 61.
Bertasio, 33, was four-under through 11 holes and then completed his closing seven holes in six-under par and ended the day four shots clear of Spaniard Adri Arnaus (65).
