Martin Laird has been measured for Ryder Cup attire but the Scot declared he’s not about be consumed by trying to qualify for the European Team.
While qualifying began last September Laird gave away three months by not joining the European Tour to January.
Laird soon kick-started his bid with second in the PGA Tour season-opening event in Hawaii and while he stalled for some three months the Colorado-based Scot shot to 20th on the points table on the back of his share of second in the Players Championship.
Laird is looking to further stake his Ryder Cup claims at this week’s flagship BMW PGA Championship.
It will be his first appearance on the famed ‘Burma Road’ West Course that has again been tweaked by redesigned and seven-time World Match-Play champion, Ernie Els.
The Colorado-based Scot will play the opening two rounds in the company of Els and current World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
“I played the course yesterday and for me there has been no changes, and it’s a brand new golf course and I like it,” said Laird.
However while McIlroy is certain to attract enormous interest, Laird will have family support in his father, Charles and London-based sisters, Kerry and Elise.
The BMW PGA is the first of four Europe-based events Laird will play in coming months as he’s confirmed he will play the July 5th starting French Open along with the following week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and The Open.
The four events, along with next month’s U.S. Open in San Francisco, should go a long way to helping lift inside the Ryder Cup top-10 and the hopeful assurance of two Scots in Jose Maria Olazabal’s team.
But the last thing Laird wants to do is to put pressure on himself, as he confessed he did earlier this year, to make the European side.
“The Ryder Cup is in my mind and I would like to be part of that European Team but I am not out there thinking about it all the time,” said Laird.
“That was maybe the problem at the start of the year because I talked about getting off to a fast start in terms of qualifying.
“I went out and finished second in my first event of the year and I would be lying to myself if at the time I didn’t start thinking of qualifying automatically for the side.
“I look back now and that might have been part of the reason why I struggled with my game for a couple of months, as I was thinking about the Ryder Cup too much.
“So the last month I hadn’t even played well enough to think of the Ryder Cup so I have been purposely trying not to think about it.
“I’ve been asked questions about the Ryder Cup but on paper I haven’t played well enough and I feel by putting it out of my mind it’s going to help me and it’s by playing good golf that is going to get me on the team.”
Laird will be among 13 Scots competing in this week’s Euro 4.5m event.
