Lawrie and Laird restored nation's pride says Bernard Gallacher

Laird's success in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour has seen him jump 19 places to 21st in the world, with Lawrie leaping up to 150th after he returned to winning ways following a nine-year drought on the European Tour with victory in the Andalucia Open.

The two successes came within a few hours of each other and were certainly a far cry from some of the low points witnessed in Scottish golf over the past decade, notably when only four players were flying the Saltire in the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and none of them survived the cut.

The absence of Scottish players in the last two European Ryder Cup teams has also been disappointing, but Gallacher, who captained the winning side at Oak Hill in 1995, is delighted to see the home of golf back in the news for positive events again thanks to the excellent efforts of his two compatriots.

"We can wear our kilts with pride again," he said. "It's not nice when you go to events like The Open or a Ryder Cup and hear people talking negatively about Scottish golf and, when there isn't a Scot in the European team at a Ryder Cup, that certainly drives it home."

Laird, who has been based in America since he went to college in Colorado, looks a good bet to make the team for the 2012 match at Medinah and Gallacher believes that can also be a realistic target for 42-year-old Lawrie, who played at Brookline in 1999.

"Paul has certainly underachieved over the last nine years - from tee to green he is as good as anyone and it's just ridiculous that he's not won in that time," added the former Wentworth professional. "Hopefully this is a second start for him and he can go on and perhaps even get back in the Ryder Cup team.

"In fairness to Paul, since he won the Open he has devoted a lot of his time to his Foundation and both him and (wife] Marian are very dedicated to that. However, I wonder if he could have done that later in his career as he is too good a player to not be giving 100 per cent to his game."

Gallacher admitted it had been a nice surprise to wake up yesterday morning and learn that Laird had won for the second time on the PGA Tour, having headed off to bed when the 28-year-old squandered a two-shot lead and missed a dramatic finish as he recovered from being three shots behind with seven holes to go to secure a one-shot success at Bay Hill.

"Martin is certainly not out of place among the top 25 in the world as he's had a good year so far, having had other chances to win this season," noted Gallacher.

"I don't think (renowned golf coach) John Jacobs would agree with what he is working on but what he is trying to do is get a swing that is repeatable. I look at him and see someone who is working on his technique. He's not there yet but once he does he'll have more confidence to go forward with. Dave Stockton Jnr has also helped with his putting as it was superb in the first three rounds and he also holed a couple of crucial ones towards the end. It was a tough week for everyone and he held his nerve.

"Whether he can win a major only time will tell, but he's good enough to win regular tournaments and he was certainly in some elite company at Bay Hill."

Laird, who has the Saltire emblazoned upon his bag, his belt buckle and his shoes, is hoping the weekend double, which came hot on the heels of Sandy Lyle recording his first win for nearly 20 years with a success on the European Senior Tour, will spark more success for the Scottish game at the top level.

"It's no secret that Scottish golf has been down for a few years after Monty's dominance," said Laird. "Now we have got a lot of good players. We just need to get up there and get experience and to have two wins in one week is obviously huge.

"We won the Eisenhower Trophy (world amateur team title) a couple of years ago, but for some reason guys trying to make the transition from amateur golf to professional golf has just not been working. I was lucky enough when I graduated from Colorado State that a group of sponsors gave me some money to play. I could just go work on my game and try and get better.

"People back in Scotland don't always have that luxury, but I believe now they have a system set up with a couple of sponsors and I think some government funding that they are going to try and bridge that gap. There's no doubt we have the talent in the country."

Meanwhile, the man who knows Martin Laird better than anyone reckons one of his main assets is not allowing golf to take over his life.

His parents, Charles and Anne, proudly watched on TV as the Scot chalked up the biggest win of his career on Sunday night and are now even more excited about heading over to Augusta to see him make his Masters debut next week.

"One of Martin's strongest points is that he is well rounded," said Charles, a civil engineer who moved from Bearsden to Upper Largo in Fife six years ago. "Golf isn't everything to him. He's got a life outside the game and he can think things out and sort anything out that perhaps isn't right."

Laird certainly made a good decision when he headed off to Colorado State on a golf scholarship, using that opportunity to take his game to the next level by the time he turned professional in 2004. "Martin was never the top dog in amateur golf in Scotland. He knew he had to improve and he was dedicated in doing that," added Charles.

"He was also fortunate to have the backing of some generous people who supported the Colorado State team and managed to win in only his second event as a professional.

"That was in the Denver Open and he won $10,000. I don't think he could have earned that sort of money in a comparable event over here."

Laird will be back in Britain in July for the Scottish Open and Open Championship, straight after which he is returning to Colorado to get married to his American fiancee, Meagan Franks.

"Martin is very patriotic," said Charles, a member at Lundin Golf Club. "He would love to play more tournaments here but until now that hasn't been possible due to the fact he's mainly been trying to keep his card on the PGA Tour."