Over a thousand hotel guests residing at the on-course San Antonio JW Marriott hotel will be reminded each and every occasion they enter their room Martin Laird is the Valero Texas Open defending champion.
Sponsors arranged for 5,000 room cards to be printed for use in the 1,002 rooms in the nine-storey hotel that towers over the TPC San Antonio layout.
It’s the first occasion the $US 6.2m event has gone to such trouble while Laird arrived late on Sunday night from Orlando to be greeted by countless posters of himself adorning pillars all about the Baggage Halls at San Antonio Airport.
Martin Laird’s 2013 Valero Texas Open trophy shot appearing on 5,000 J W Marriott hotel room cards. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“It looked like Martin Laird Airport there was so much posters and then to see my ugly mug on the JW Marriott room cards is incredible,” he said smiling.
“But then it’s a nice reminder of my victory here last year, and it’s just nice also to be coming back to a place where I had my best-ever ball-striking round in shooting that final day 63.”
But after finishing tail of the field last Sunday in Orlando Laird’s first task to was to spend time Monday on the San Antonio range with his coach, Randy Smith.
However that was reduced to only two hours due to rain lashing the famed ‘Alamo’ city before a more lengthy session yesterday. (Tuesday).
Laird continues to give the thumbs-up to his shortened former belly putter after having cut six inches if off it at the start of season, but he says not in a move to conform to new rules from January 2016 banning any anchoring of clubs.
“It’s no longer a belly putter and it’s not anchored, and more like a mock belly putter that measures 41 inches which is still a bit longer than the standard putters,” he said.
“I switched to that at the start of the year in Maui and my putting’s become a lot more consistent and it’s nothing to do with the rule change, as all I was thinking is that I need to putt better.”
And Laird will tee-up Thursday alongside reigning Open Champion Phil Mickelson having dropped outside the top-100 in the World Rankings to 101 but not unconcerned when the question was put to him by www.golfbytourmis.com
“I’m not somebody that studies it,” said Laird.
Martin Laird’s picture also appearing on beer coasters in the JW Marriott Hotel.
“I couldn’t tell you what I am right now. I stopped looking when I fell out of the Top 50 in the world and it’s more about getting my game back in shape that — and getting back up there than watching where I’m at.
“So it doesn’t matter where I’m at in terms of how I’m going to play next week or this week. It’s more about how I’m playing and that will take care of the World Rankings. I’m really concentrating, just starting to play a little more consistent and have some good finishes and then the rest all takes care of itself.”
Laird confirmed also he will not contest next week’s Shell Houston Open and the final qualifying event for the Masters meaning if he is to join Sandy Lyle and Stephen Gallacher he will need to repeat last year’s San Antonio winning effort.
