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A fourth PGA Tour top five this year sees Scot’s ranking surge

Scotland’s top golfer, Martin Laird, has broken in the top 50 of the Official Golf World Ranking for the first time after his fourth top five PGA Tour finish of the year.

Laird, who remained in the United States after completing his studies at Colorado State University in 2004, has played a full schedule on the leading US Tour for the past three seasons.

The 27-year-old has been steadily improving in that time, taking his first victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October of last year.

Laird continued that form into 2010 with a fourth place finish in the SBS Championship in January and played well enough throughout the year to make it into the lucrative FedEx Cup play-offs. He finished second in The Barclays and ended the series in 11th place.

The Scot also enjoyed a productive return visit to his homeland in October by recording fifth place in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

He narrowly missed out on retaining his only tour title to date at the Justin Timberlake-sponsored Shriners event in Las Vegas. A hole-in-one from fellow play-off competitor Jonathan Byrd at the fourth extra hole ending his hopes of a second tour win.

Laird moved up to No.55 in the world following that result, but a tie for third in last week’s CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia means he is now in 49th place in the rankings.

The top 50 players in the world automatically receive invitations to play in the big-money WGC and major events and Laird will be hoping he can maintain his place as the participation list for next year’s events are confirmed.

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Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered