Top-ranked Scotland golfer Martin Laird admits he could struggle to make his debut in next year’s European Ryder Cup team.

Laird revealed he will take up European Tour membership in the New Year but he’s cutting his chances of being in Medinah by half in electing not to compete on both the European or PGA Tours.

The Colorado-based Laird will attract points on the secondary Ryder Cup ‘World Points’ list for appearances in PGA Tour events.

But he will not register any points whatsoever on the primary ‘European Points’ table until the last week in February for the European Tour counting WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.

“I will take up European Tour membership next year but I haven’t sat down to work out my schedule for next year as yet,” he said at this week’s World Cup in China.

“It means I am going to have to qualify for the Ryder Cup off the World Points list because I just will not play enough to qualify of the European Points list.”

Surprisingly, Laird is not interested in competing early next year in the Middle East or bringing his current World No. 42 ranked game to any of the Spanish events or Wentworth in May.

Laird, it seems, will not be seen in Europe proper until July’s Scottish Open at Gleneagles.

“I am not going to be undertaking any travel in the first part of the year, so the Middle East events are out for me,” he said.

“It won’t be until the summer that I will play European Tour events in Europe.

“So I know I would have to play really, really well in Europe so that’s why I will concentrate on getting as many world ranking points as I can from playing the PGA Tour.

“I am taking up European Tour membership but it’s not like I am going to play 15, 16 or 17 events rather it will be more like five or six.

“I still have to play the minimum of 15 in the States but then if I can do what I did this year and win in capturing the Bay Hill Invitational then that’s going to help immensely.”