Laird able to relax as he tees off at his 'home' venue

Published on Wednesday 21 October 2009 22:41

MARTIN Laird will enjoy the experience of teeing it up at the Frys.com Open this week knowing his future is secure for the next two years.

The Scot won his first US PGA Tour title last Sunday in Las Vegas to earn a two-year tour exemption. The 26-year-old jumped 72 places on the money list to 62nd by claiming the first prize of $756,000 and will play this week's event in his adopted home of Scottsdale, Arizona, with the pressure firmly off.

"I was 134th on the money list going into last week," Laird said. "I was thinking about just getting to the top 125 but that was one thing I did well on Sunday.

"I was in such a good position to try and win that I didn't think one time out there about the top 125.

"I knew if I just went out and played well that wasn't going to be a problem. I had been playing so well all week that I was just going to have to go out and try and win."

Laird, who played golf for Colorado State University before turning professional in 2004, will have family and friends around him as he plays the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, where he has been based since 2005.

"I've got a small group of friends and my mum and dad are over from Scotland, which was already planned. It kind of worked out perfect," he said.

"It doesn't really get much better than winning the week before a tournament that's in your home town. I'm looking forward to this week. I like this golf course. I played pretty well here last year.

"I feel like my game's been good for the last few months and obviously peaked last week. I'm hoping to have another good week here."

Having seen off the likes of Jim Furyk at TPC Summerlin before winning a play-off with George McNeill, Laird faces another strong field in the third of five PGA Tour Fall Series tournaments.

Former Masters champion Mike Weir of Canada returns to Grayhawk having won the tournament in 2007 and tied for fourth 12 months ago, while South African Tim Clark is also in the field along with Justin Leonard and defending champion Cameron Beckman.

Meanwhile, Masters champion Angel Cabrera is in the enviable position of being able to play as badly as he wants over the next fortnight and still earn a fortune.

Cabrera was in Bermuda yesterday for the second round of the 36-hole four-man Grand Slam against the year's other three major winners, where even last place offered a mouth-watering prize of 120,000.

Next week he is at the Volvo World Match Play and even if he loses all three of his group games and fails to advance to the semi-finals he will walk away with nearly 110,000. Such are the riches on offer to those at the top of the golfing tree – but that has not stopped Cabrera taking an overnight flight across the Atlantic so that he can also compete at the Castello Masters in Spain today – and there he will actually have to play well if he wants to collect big money at the weekend.

Cabrera will be partnering Martin Kaymer on his return from two months out injured. The 24-year-old German broke toes in a go-kart crash in Arizona and during his lay-off has dropped from first to third on the European Tour money list.

With new leader Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy both resting before next week's Match Play in Marbella, Kaymer actually has the chance to go back to the top on Sunday. But he would have to win the 300,000 first prize for that and is not raising people's expectations.

"My foot has healed well and the doctor has told me that I am fit to play, to put pressure on the foot and play normally," said Kaymer. "Obviously this is my first tournament back, so I do not know exactly how I am going to feel after 72 holes, but I think that it will be all right."

Tournament host Sergio Garcia is also the defending champion on his home course and in a year when he is still searching for a top three finish it will be a major surprise if he fails to achieve it this week. He partners 2006 Ryder Cup team-mates Darren Clarke and Jose Maria Olazabal in the first two rounds, while opposing Vivendi Trophy captains Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn are partners as well, as are Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and Robert Karlsson.

Cabrera finished up second in the Grand Slam in Bermuda last night, five shots behind US Open champion Lucas Glover, who signed off with a 5-under 66 for 11-under 131 to earn the first prize of $600,000. Open champion Stewart Cink shot 137, while US PGA champion YE Yang had a 70 for 141. Cabrera had a 66 for 136.