Martin Laird looking to respond

• Martin Laird looking to respond after last week
• Shot a round of 68 on day one, four off the lead
• “I’d take four-under on this course any day”

Martin Laird shot a round of 68 on day one of the Farmers Insurance Open as he looks to respond following a late slip-up last week.

The 32-year-old Glaswegian finished bogey-double bogey, handing Brooks Koepka his maiden PGA Tour title, but made a solid start yesterday and is four shots behind first round leader Nicholas Thompson, who is on eight-under.

Laird recorded the second lowest round of the day on the tough Torrey Pines South Course, bettered only by Jhonattan Vegas, and was pleased with his performance after falling at the final hurdle at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix.

“Last week was last week. I made one bad swing and I had a bad time and that was that. The rest of the tournament I played great, I putted great and everything in my game feels pretty good,” Martin Laird said.

“The South Course is maybe my favourite course to play all year so I’ve been looking forward to it. I came here feeling pretty confident in my game and I was very pleased to start with a round like this on maybe the hardest course we play all year.”

“Any time you make three birdies in a row on the South Course you’re happy”

Martin Laird began his round on the tenth hole and made consecutive birdies on holes 16, 17 and 18 which pleased the Scot and gave him a platform to build on for the remainder of the day.

He said: “It was a nice little stretch there. Any time you make three birdies in a row on the South Course you’re happy because every hole out there is tough. I was disappointed to hack my way down No.9 and make a bogey but I’m not going to complain because I’d take a four-under on this course any day.”

Martin Laird switches over to the North Course later today and tees off on the first hole at 10.20am local time (5.20pm UK time) alongside Stewart Cink and Retief Goosen.

Martin Laird in the Farmers Insurance Open :: Your thoughts

The Scot recorded the joint-second lowest score on the South Course of four-under, can he go better on the North Course later today? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below