MARTIN LAIRD HIT BY DUNHILL LINKS CLASH OF DATES
FROM THE SPORT.SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Martin Laird's hopes of playing in the Dunhill Links Championship for the second year running have been put in doubt by a clash of dates that has left Scotland's highest-ranked golfer with a major dilemma.
Next year the pro-am event at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns is being held the same week as the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open, which Laird won last year in Las Vegas and came close to defending in October, losing in a play-off to Jonathan Byrd.
TO READ THE REST OF MARTIN DEMPSTER'S STORY
ON THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
CLICK HERE
===============================================================
WORLD TOP 50 RANKING GETS LAIRD INTO
ALL NEXT YEAR'S MAJORS, WGC EVENTS
FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND.COM WEBSITE
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/golfBy ED HODGEMartin Laird will play in all the majors next year after holding his place in the top 50 of the world rankings at the end of 2010.
The 27-year-old Glaswegian, who is based in Arizona and mainly plays on the US PGA Tour, has capped an excellent season by retaining 50th spot in the last official rankings for this year. Despite a week still remaining of 2010, the rankings will not be updated until after the first week of January.
The top 50 in the world are guaranteed starts in all four majors and the World Golf Championship events in 2011.
Laird was already looking forward to his Masters debut at Augusta in April and starts in the Open and US Open but can now add the season’s final major, the US PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia, to his schedule, as well as several other lucrative tournaments.
Laird, the first Scot to reach the top 50 in the world since Colin Montgomerie in 2007, has enjoyed a terrific season after making his big breakthrough when he won his maiden US PGA title at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas last year.
The former Scottish youth champion, who graduated from Colorado State University in 2004, continued his progress with six top-10s this season, including two play-off defeats.
Laird will now join the former US Masters champion Sandy Lyle as the only Scots to contest the new season’s first major at Augusta starting on April 7.
England’s Lee Westwood finishes the year as world No.1, ahead of Tiger Woods and Martin Kaymer. Stephen Gallacher is the next best-placed Scot in 89th spot.
While Laird will be satisfied with his season’s work, Paul Casey ends the 2010 campaign believing it could have been the most successful of his career had he not lost a bit of his killer instinct in pursuit of technical excellence.
A year which began with the long-hitting Englishman, who, like Laird, mainly plays in the US, cautiously recovering from a lingering rib injury will end with him back to full fitness and comfortably established in the world’s top 10.
His one frustration after producing consistently good golf on both sides of the Atlantic was his failure to win a tournament, in his view a possible result of the ongoing hard work on his swing.
“It was very close to being a fantastic year,” said the world No.8. “Overall I am slightly disappointed and frustrated with no wins. I played some very good golf, gave myself lots of opportunities but didn’t close anything out. So from that angle I’m not happy.”
Casey recorded seven top-10s in 17 starts on the US PGA Tour, including runner-up spots at the high-profile WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the BMW Championship.
“It’s another season where I felt like I have progressed and I am a better player than I was before, trying to tick all the boxes on things that need work,” the 33-year-old said.
“And I’ve done a good job at that, but is that at the sacrifice of losing that slight killer instinct when you’ve got to close out a tournament? I don’t know.”
As for next season, Casey’s goals mirror those of 2010.
“It’s still the majors,” he said. “The performances of the three European Tour-based players this year – Louis (Oosthuizen), Graeme (McDowell) and Martin (Kaymer) – their major wins just highlight how wide open it is right now.
“They are all great players but I think there are 20-odd guys in the world now going, ‘I want that first major.’ And these guys have illustrated that it’s right there.”
MORE GOLF FOR YOU TO READ ON THE HERALDSCOTLAND WEBSITE
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/golf"I have noticed that the Dunhill Links is the same week as the Las Vegas next year and I was extremely disappointed to see that," the 28-year-old told The Scotsman newspaper.
"I had such a great time playing in the Dunhill Links for the first time this year and was looking forward to hopefully making a return trip next year for the event."
TO READ THE REST OF MARTIN DEMPSTER'S STORY
ON THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
CLICK HERE
===============================================================
WORLD TOP 50 RANKING GETS LAIRD INTO
ALL NEXT YEAR'S MAJORS, WGC EVENTS
FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND.COM WEBSITE
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/golfBy ED HODGE
The 27-year-old Glaswegian, who is based in Arizona and mainly plays on the US PGA Tour, has capped an excellent season by retaining 50th spot in the last official rankings for this year. Despite a week still remaining of 2010, the rankings will not be updated until after the first week of January.
The top 50 in the world are guaranteed starts in all four majors and the World Golf Championship events in 2011.
Laird was already looking forward to his Masters debut at Augusta in April and starts in the Open and US Open but can now add the season’s final major, the US PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia, to his schedule, as well as several other lucrative tournaments.
Laird, the first Scot to reach the top 50 in the world since Colin Montgomerie in 2007, has enjoyed a terrific season after making his big breakthrough when he won his maiden US PGA title at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas last year.
The former Scottish youth champion, who graduated from Colorado State University in 2004, continued his progress with six top-10s this season, including two play-off defeats.
Laird will now join the former US Masters champion Sandy Lyle as the only Scots to contest the new season’s first major at Augusta starting on April 7.
England’s Lee Westwood finishes the year as world No.1, ahead of Tiger Woods and Martin Kaymer. Stephen Gallacher is the next best-placed Scot in 89th spot.
While Laird will be satisfied with his season’s work, Paul Casey ends the 2010 campaign believing it could have been the most successful of his career had he not lost a bit of his killer instinct in pursuit of technical excellence.
A year which began with the long-hitting Englishman, who, like Laird, mainly plays in the US, cautiously recovering from a lingering rib injury will end with him back to full fitness and comfortably established in the world’s top 10.
His one frustration after producing consistently good golf on both sides of the Atlantic was his failure to win a tournament, in his view a possible result of the ongoing hard work on his swing.
“It was very close to being a fantastic year,” said the world No.8. “Overall I am slightly disappointed and frustrated with no wins. I played some very good golf, gave myself lots of opportunities but didn’t close anything out. So from that angle I’m not happy.”
Casey recorded seven top-10s in 17 starts on the US PGA Tour, including runner-up spots at the high-profile WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the BMW Championship.
“It’s another season where I felt like I have progressed and I am a better player than I was before, trying to tick all the boxes on things that need work,” the 33-year-old said.
“And I’ve done a good job at that, but is that at the sacrifice of losing that slight killer instinct when you’ve got to close out a tournament? I don’t know.”
As for next season, Casey’s goals mirror those of 2010.
“It’s still the majors,” he said. “The performances of the three European Tour-based players this year – Louis (Oosthuizen), Graeme (McDowell) and Martin (Kaymer) – their major wins just highlight how wide open it is right now.
“They are all great players but I think there are 20-odd guys in the world now going, ‘I want that first major.’ And these guys have illustrated that it’s right there.”
MORE GOLF FOR YOU TO READ ON THE HERALDSCOTLAND WEBSITE
Labels: PRO GOLF
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, December 23, 2010
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