While Stephen Gallacher can almost certainly packs his bags for next fortnight’s WGC- Accenture Match-Play Championship fellow Scot Martin Laird has given up the hope of trying to qualify for the $US 8.75m event in Arizona.
Laird, as a then top-50 ranked player last year, won through to the 2012 quarter-final defeating another Scot in Paul Lawrie before being bundled out by England’s Lee Westwood.
However in the intervening period the North Carolina based Laird has slipped to No. 86 in the world and needs to be inside the top-64 on Monday to have any hope of qualifying.
Martin Laird can’t see his way clear to compete in this week’s AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
But Laird has turned his back on this week’s AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the final event that the could have earned him a place in season’s first WGC.
And in an exclusive interview with esteemed colleague Martin Dempster and appearing in today’s edition of The Scotsman Laird laid bare his reasons for not competing this week.
“I added San Diego this year instead of Pebble Beach to my schedule as my record at Pebble is pretty much shocking,” said Laird .
“For some reason I have never played well there so decided on missing it this year. I know it was the last tournament before the WGC Match Play but I really did not feel like it was somewhere that I would have a great chance at playing well to move back into the top 64.
“It is very disappointing not to be eligible for the Match Play as I absolutely love that event and had a good run in it last year.”
As Martin also highlightst Laird was Scotland’s top-ranked player just over a year ago but now finds himself fifth top Tartan player behind Lawrie ranked 30th, Richie Ramsay (59th), Gallacher (60th) and Scott Jamieson (68th).
Laird’s move continues some interesting decisions we’ve seen from the double PGA Tour winning Scot including a move not to join the European Tour last year till January and thereby forgo some three months of Ryder Cup qualifying.
It was be just as interesting to note if he intends taking out European Tour membership ahead of the first 2014 Ryder Cup qualifying event.
However as Laird also mentioned to Martin his resolve to get himself back inside the top-50 has not resolved.
“My schedule is definitely looking a little different this year than the last few seasons right now,” he added.
“However, it is added motivation for me to get my game going in the right direction and get back in the top 50 in the world rankings and back playing in all the majors and WGC events.
“I am trying to be patient right now as I would say my game is a work in progress after my coach change at the end of last year.
“It is still tough for me to take some of the changes we have made out on to the course, but I am looking forward to when that comes about as I am probably hitting the ball better in practice and on the range than I ever have. It’s just a case of taking those swing changes into competition and getting used to them when it counts.”
And www.golfbytourmiss.com was sharing a celebratory drink with Gallacher last Sunday night in Dubai when the new Omega Dubai Desert Classic showed me his mobile phone and noting a congratulatory text message from Laird.
“I was obviously thrilled to see Stevie win,” said Laird also in the Scotsman.
“He is such a good guy who has been working hard for so long that he deserves to win a huge event like that.
“We had a great time playing in the World Cup and I was very impressed with his game then. He is one of the best ball-strikers I have ever played with, so it’s no surprise to see him winning a big event.”
