After a long absence of eight years Scotland’s Martin Laird will now tee-up in the 2021 Masters.

The last occasion Laird was at Augusta Natonal was for the 2013 Mastsers, and in securing the very last tee-time by winning the Valero Texas Open the week prior in San Antonio.

Now the now 37-year old Laird has earned an emeption into the 2021 Masters with a brilliant and stunning second Shriners Hospital for Children Open success in Las Vegas.

With darkness descending on the TPC Summerlin course, Laird holed a 22-foot birdie putt at the second extra play-off to leave American rivals Matthew Wolfe and Austin Cook completely gob-smacked.

Remarkably, it was the third time in his career Laird had been in a Las Vegas play-off.

Martin Laird proudly raises the Shriners Hospital for Children Open victory trophy skywards for a second time in his career.

The first was in 2009, and bogeying the final hole in regulation, when he was successful in winning in a play-off while a year later Laird also bogeyed the 72nd in the defence of his title but eventually lost out when American Jonathon Byrd created PGA Tour play-off history winning the event with a hole-in-one at the fourth extra hole.

Now for a third occasion, Laird found his way into a Las Vegas play-off and yes, also after taking a ‘5’ at the 72nd hole.

All three players pared the 18th before heading to the par-3 17th for the second extra hole.

Laird hit first but then was closest to the hole with Wolfe and Cook both missing their birdie attempts until Laird settled the issue in calmly rolling-in the winning putt.

Minutes earlier, Laird played a terrible tee shot that landed on a cart path down the right side of the 17th and with the Scot’s ball bouncing high into the air and landing at least in an open area but then with a line of trees down the right side of the hole and water guarding the left of the green.

“He’ll be very lucky to make a 4 from there,” said one of the CBS Sport commentators.

“He’s got to be anxious,” said one of the TV colleagues.

Well, Laird chipped his ball through the trees and onto the green, and from where he holed out for a par.

Second time around Laird made sure of it and in the process ending a seven-year winless drought and to be assured also of returning home to his wife and two sons with a long overdue tournament trophy.

www.golfbytourmiss.com had waited-up to just after 2am (UK time) to watch coverage of the Scot’s win and afterwards asked the now four-time PGA Tour winner where the win will rate in his career.

“I don’t know right now, but I think when I sit back and think about it, this one might go right to the top just because it’s been a while,” he said.

“I had a bunch of life changes since my last win. Now I’ve got a couple kids who kept asking men when I was going to win the trophy. They would see the ones that I previously won and they weren’t born when I won them, so they kept asking, Daddy, when are you going to win a trophy?

“It’s going to be nice to take a trophy home for them this time.”

And we followed-up asking Laird how much he is now looking forward to taking his family next April to the Masters.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously there is a lot of the doors open with the win, and that’s one of the nice perks. You know, yeah, I’m going to enjoy them all and that’ll definitely be one of them,” said Laird.