The Open: Thick rough gripes won’t wash with upbeat Martin Laird

MARTIN Laird’s eyes lit up when he got a glimpse of Royal Lytham for the first time this week. Unlike some of the players in the field, he never played in the Lytham Trophy as an amateur, so the Lancashire links is virgin territory.

And, while plenty people have been moaning about the rough, which is thick in some places, Laird is licking his lips as he prepares for a fourth straight appearance in the world’s oldest major.

“I was told I would like this course and I do – I certainly wasn’t let down,” said the 29-year-old. “I think the comments that came out earlier in the week are a little unfair on the R&A. The rough is thick in places but you have to hit a pretty bad shot to get there and that’s the way it should be.

“Straight or just off line is fair. So I personally think the course set-up is very good. I hit one drive off line yesterday that went into the thick stuff, but I was able to hack it down the fairway. But that’s as it should be. You shouldn’t be able to hit a 6-iron out of there.

“I’ve not experienced anything unplayable. Maybe guys have hit it into spots on the course that I haven’t seen yet, but I really like the course. And most of the people I speak to feel the same.” One of Laird’s strengths over the past few years, during which he’s secured a sound footing on the world stage, has been his driving. The big stick won’t be out very often this week due to Lytham being more of a strategic test but he is still hoping he can get in the mix.

“I hit driver only four times in practice yesterday – at the second, seventh, 11th and 17th,” he added. “I’ve got a 2-iron that plays almost like a 1-iron and I’ll be using that a lot this week – eight or nine times a round probably. The course isn’t overly long but you have to get it on the fairways. The tee shots are visually intimidating because you’re looking at 10 to 12 bunkers lining the fairway. But that’s why we play practice rounds. You find out that if you hit the right clubs there’s quite a lot of room. More than it looks at first sight.”

In the last round of the Scottish Open – he was in with a chance of landing his home title but finished in a tie for 16th – Laird struggled with the pace of the greens. He doesn’t envisage having the same problem this week. “The greens are perfect,” he mused. “They’re a little faster than last week and I really like them. The course is immaculate.

“I feel ready to have a good Open. I don’t feel I need to change much, it’s just a case of playing well.” On three missed cuts in the event to date, he said: “When The Open has come round I’ve just not played well enough. That’s what it comes down to.

“I know I can compete. It’s not as if I have to revamp my game. And I’ve got no wedding plans in my head this year (he tied the knot a fortnight after last year’s event). If I play well I expect to be up there. I don’t come here looking to just make the weekend and get four rounds in.

“I’ve got the mindset that if I play well I can challenge. That’s why I’m so excited about this week, because I really like the course and feel I can be right up there.”

Laird heads back to America after this event. It remains to be seen if he’ll be back across this side of the Atlantic again later in the season for the Dunhill Links. “It’s all up in the air just now,” he said. “I’ll see what happens because the Ryder Cup is the week before.”

The Scot needs a big win soon if he wants to make the European team for Medinah. This one would certainly do the trick.