Awesome Laird secures Texas victory

Scotsman produces stunning final round to claim third PGA Tour title

It’s Marty time: Laird rolled in nine birdies en route to a final round of 63 and victory in the Valero Texas Open

Martin Laird produced a flawless final round of 63 to win the Valero Texas Open and claim the third PGA Tour title of his career.

Glasgow man Laird had nine birdies, no bogeys and required just 22 putts as he tied the course record at TPC San Antonio and scuppered Rory McIlroy’s hopes of claiming his first title of the season. In the end, the world No.2 – a late entry for the tournament – had to settle for second place, two shots behind the Scot.

Laird’s win ended his rotten run of form, which had seen him miss the cut in four of his eight previous events this season and slip outside the world’s top 100.

He also ended a streak of 14 consecutive American winners on the PGA Tour and, perhaps most significantly of all, earned a spot in the field for this week’s Masters Tournament.

“It’s pretty special to be sitting here beside this trophy,” said the 30-year-old afterwards. “I know it’s a famous tournament, and so to come here and play the way I did today and have my name on it besides all these other great names means a lot.”

Of his struggles over the past 11 months since finishing in a tie for second at The Players Championship, Laird said: “I started struggling with my ball striking last year.  I made a coaching change at the end of the year in September and it’s taken a few months for me to get used to some of the changes. It’s been one of those things that I’ve been playing good in practice and hitting the ball on the range. I’ve just not been playing good in the tournaments.

“The biggest thing this year is I just putted terrible. All the struggles on the west coast, putting on the poa annua greens, really killed my confidence this year. I came away from there wondering if what I was doing was right and things like that. Changing putters and things like that.

“This week, I went back to my old faithful putter that I won Bay Hill with a few years ago and probably had my best putting spell with. Now I’m wondering why I ever stopped using it.”

The manner of Laird’s victory was hugely impressive, as was the way he maintained his composure on the back nine as two-time major winner McIlroy made his charge. Laird, though, insisted that he didn’t let the identity of his pursuer concern him.

“To be honest, I know how good Rory is, but it doesn’t matter if it’s Rory or Jim or Billy , if someone’s behind me making birdies like they were, I know I’ve got to keep making birdies,” he said. “That was a pretty strong leaderboard at the top there.

“I tried to stay aggressive all day. Coming in this week, my caddy and I talked about that after last week.  I played my best golf when I play aggressive, and I just tried to play that way all the way through the 18th hole today and not change my game plan and it paid off.”

Buoyed by a stunning return to the winner’s circle, Laird added that he will go into the Masters with plenty of optimism.

“It might be kind of a good thing I’m such a late entrant in terms of it’s going to be a bonus week,” he said. “I’m not going to go there with expectations because I didn’t think I was in the tournament to start the day. Obviously, the way I’m playing, if I’m playing the way I did this week, I don’t see why I can’t be right there on Sunday and be in contention. I absolutely love the golf course. It’s definitely a special place.”

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor