Laird grabs Open spot after shooting superb 63 in Texas

MARTIN Laird produced a stunning performance in the R&A's International Final Qualifying event in America to secure one of eight spots up for grabs in the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship at St Andrews in just under two months' time.

Down in a tie for 25th after an opening 69 on the aptly-named Gleneagles' Queens Course in Plano, Texas, Laird, who last year became the first Scot to win on the PGA Tour for more than 20 years, catapulted himself up to fourth spot with a seven-under-par 63, the joint-best round of the day, to book his place in the Old Course line-up.

"For me it doesn't get any better than The Open at St Andrews – it's the one I always dreamed about as a kid," said the 27-year-old, still Scotland's highest-ranked player in the world despite dropping out of the top 100 in recent weeks.

"My parents live about 15 miles away from St Andrews (in Upper Largo] so I will stay there all week."

Scottsdale-based Laird, who bagged six birdies in the first eight holes of his second round to go out in 29 and was eight-under after 13 before dropping his only shot of the round at the short 17th, has played the Old Course a mere handful of times, most recently just before Christmas.

"I played it with my dad (Charles]," he revealed to The Scotsman earlier this year. "It was a great day and we had a fun game. I'd only played it once before – in the World Schools' event a long time ago."

Laird, who played in his first Open at Turnberry last year, missing the halfway cut by two shots after rounds of 74 and 72, now has a double date to look forward to in his homeland this summer, having already accepted an invitation to make a return to Loch Lomond for the Barclays Scottish Open.

His success will guarantee three Scots in the field at St Andrews – former champions Sandy Lyle and Paul Lawrie are both on the exempt list – with Colin Montgomerie, second behind Tiger Woods over the Old Course in 2005, and Stephen Gallacher among those entered for the last of the international final qualifying events at Sunningdale on the Monday after the Wales Open.

Tim Petrovic won the event in Texas with an 11-under aggregate, with Bo Van Pelt, DA Points, Tom Pernice, Glen Day, George McNeill and Cameron Percy securing the other spots.