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Martin Laird left Augusta National with a mixed bag of emotions on Sunday evening, lamenting his putting, as he finished in a tie for 38th at the Masters.
While Robert MacIntyre grabbed the headlines, Laird, making his first appearance at the Masters since 2013, breezed into the weekend, sitting just one-over par following an opening couple of rounds of 74 and 71.
The 38-year-old carded rounds of 72, on Saurday, and another 74 on Sunday to round out a solid tournament that saw him outscore the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka.
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“Right now, very frustrated,” said Laird when asked how he felt about his week overall. “I hit it great again today, and I made no putts all week. I just really struggled on the greens a bit.
“My caddie even said four, five shots just on the back nine today I left on the greens and a good four or five yesterday.
“Every round this week, I kind of felt like it’s the worst score I could have shot, and today that’s definitely the case. Right now, when I knew, same as yesterday, it could have been a good round and to make no putts, it’s a little frustrating.”
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The stats marry up to Laird’s assessment, as he averaged 1.78 putts per hole during his final round, compared to 1.64 for the rest of the field, whilst hitting 79% of fairways and 72% of greens in regulation.
A four-time PGA Tour winner, Laird admitted that when he cools off, he will take the positives from his return to Augusta National.
“I had an unbelievable week,” he added. “Obviously, it’s a fantastic tournament and one you always want to play in. As I said, looking back, I’ve really enjoyed the week, even though right now I’m a little frustrated. But looking back, I’ll be very pleased with how I played.
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“Tee to green I played well enough to be in the mix, and just hopefully next time I’m back, I can figure out the greens and maybe see if I can get there.”
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