LAIRD STILL ON COURSE TO JOIN TIGER
WOODS & CO NEXT SEASON

Martin Laird is still on course to gain promotion to the US PGA Tour next season. He is lying joint 11th with rounds of 65 and 68 for a halfway tally of nine-under-par 133 in the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek Golf Club, California.
Laird, who played out of Hilton Park Golf Club, Glasgow as an amateur, is currently lying 18th in the money list of America's No 2 pro circuit with earnings of $2097,729 from 26 events, one of which he won.
Only the top 25 in the table at the conclusion of this tournament will gain cards to join Tiger Woods & Co next year.
Laird, a former Scottish youths champion who played the US college circuit for four years as a student at Colorado State University, had 15 pars plus birdies at the 10th, 14th and 16th in his second round.
The scoring is hot, very hot. Laird has had one eagle, nine birdies and one double bogey over the 36 holes so far but is still some seven shots behind the leader, Michael Letzig who is four shots clear of the field on 16-under-par 126 with scores of 60 and 66.
Welshman Richard Johnson is his nearest rival with 66 and 64 for 130.

SCOREBOARD
Par 142 (2 x 71)
126 Michael Letzig (US) 60 66.
130 Richard Johnson (Wal) 66 64.
131 Roland Thatcher (US) 67 64, Tom Scherrer (US) 66 65, Jim McGovern (US) 65 66, B J Staten (US) 65 66, Tiaart Van der Walt (SAf) 63 68.
132 Kelly Grunewald (US) 67 65, Brenden Pappas (SAf) 66 66, Gary Christian (Eng) 63 69.
133 Martin Laird (Sco) 65 68, Bob Burns (US) 68 65.

+The only Scot on the US PGA Tour is Aberdeen-born Michael Sim who emigrated with his parents to Perth, Western Australia when he was seven and went on to become the world's top ranked amateur golfer before turning pro. Sim, who is now 23, qualified from the Nationwide Tour in 19th position last year but is in danger of losing his card mainly because he missed the start of the 2007 US Tour due to a stress fracture of the lower spine, discovered during the winter months.
+Only the top 125 money-winners at the end of the season keep their playing rights. Sim is up in the 160s but has been granted a medical exemption which will allow him to play a maximum of six tournaments on the 2008 US Tour if he fails to finish in the top 125 this year. He then needs to win enough money in these six events to boost his 2007 earnings past the final figure of the player who finished in 125th position to retain full playing rights for 2008.
Confused? You should be!