WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2008

Martin Laird

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome Martin Laird to the interview room here at the Wyndham Championship. Great first round, first round leader after the morning wave.
Just a couple of comments. I know you shared a lot of comments so far but just some comments on the round.
MARTIN LAIRD: You know, obviously very good round. You know, it was one of those rounds I just kind of -- when I had to hole 8, 6, 10-footer for par I did.
Started the first hole I hold about a 8-footer or 10-footer for par. That was funny sense kind of a good start, a momentum builder. Then holed a nice put on 2.
After that I played real solid. Didn't really look like making bogey the rest of the day, maybe on 16 the par 3 I had to hole about a 6-footer. It was a real good round, hit it good and, as I said, putted well.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. We'll throw it out for a few questions.

Q. In some respects is it almost better to hole a good putt from the 1st and just have a tap-in?
MARTIN LAIRD: That's what I said. I felt like I hit a good shot in, kind of spun back and you know, there's a false front there. Ran down and putted up, probably 60 feet, putted up to about eight feet and, as I said, I rolled that up there and tapped it in, I really wouldn't have thought about it. Instead I holed a nice putt right in the middle.
Kind of walked off the green thinking stroke feels good already, I only played one hole as opposed to if you tap one if you don't think about it.

Q. Where do you play your golf these days?
MARTIN LAIRD: I live in Scottsdale, Arizona. Practice out at just the TPC there.

Q. Any idea how low you guys might be going this week with the way the course is set-up?
MARTIN LAIRD: No. I mean the practice round, it's one of those courses on paper it looks like you can really get it but just depends how nasty the rules officials get on the weekend with pin positions.
There's some pins if you have a sand wedge you can't go out. It just depends a lot on that. Imagine the greens are not going to get any slower. No more rain, they're probably not going to get softer.
I don't know. I'd say, you know, 15, 16-under might do it, but I mean that all depends on the pin positions.

Q. Do you feel like after I think it was your 4th in Reno that a victory is just around the corner, or trying not to get ahead of yourself?
MARTIN LAIRD: Definitely it's something I'm thinking about. Actually started the week before Reno I was rooming with Chez Reavie in Toronto when he won. We were rooming in Toronto.
I saw his win from wire to wire, every step with him because at night he would come back and talk about it, whatever. He said to me Sunday night, I played with him a lot, "If I can do it, you can do it."
That's what it means. That's true. After seeing one of your friends you play with a lot and you know you're all kind of the same standard, it definitely gives you a little confidence boost to see that you can do it.
DOUG MILNE: You mentioned Chez. What is it about Scottsdale? What is it about that area, obviously a lot to choose from as far as beautiful golf courses? What is it about that that drew you to it and how has it helped you groove your game to get to where it is?
MARTIN LAIRD: I came out of college and I got conditional Nationwide Tour card my first year straight out of college. I was still living in Colorado. The first Nationwide events were starting in January, February and little cold up there to really get some good practice in so I need to get somewhere that I can play and practice early in the year so I'm not completely rusty going in.
I knew someone, I had a friend from college that played on my team that lived down there and I played down there that summer and in a couple of events and liked the area.
Also I didn't want to go -- I needed to go somewhere with the TPC so I had somewhere to practice. I didn't know anyone, couldn't afford to join a club.
I had to go somewhere, TPC, and it kind of stuck out. I love it down there. I've been there four years now and I can't see myself moving anywhere anytime soon.

Q. You came over here just for college?
MARTIN LAIRD: Played college golf at Colorado State.

Q. How much golf did you play back home?
MARTIN LAIRD: I played, you know, every -- the season -- you can play all year-round but it's a little wet in the winter.
I played -- I probably played full-time amateur schedule in the summers since I was about 14, 15, you know, and played for Scotland under 16s, under 18s, you know, I represented under 21s and men's team. I played pretty much all summer for -- since I was about 14, 15.

Q. What course did you grow up playing in?
MARTIN LAIRD: Called Milngavie, M-I-L-N-G-A-V-I-E.
DOUG MILNE: If you wouldn't mind just running us through and giving us some clubs and, the best of your recollection, yardages on your birdies and eagle.
MARTIN LAIRD: On 2, I hit a 7-iron in there, I think I had like 178. Hit it to 20 feet. Made that.
Then on 5 I hit a good drive down 5, had 7-iron in there and good shot to about 15 feet and just about made it. Kind of tapped in for birdie.
No. 9, I hit 2-iron off the tee, stay short of the bunker and got 161 back up the hill into the wind and hit 7-iron to about a foot. Probably the best shot all day. Kind of cut it in there.
Then 10, I hit 2-iron off the tee again and had like 204 downwind and hit 6-iron to about ten feet and made that.
Then on 13 I actually didn't have a very good tee shot in the left rough. It wasn't a bad angle for a front right pin. There's a big slope behind the pin and just tried to throw that and I did. I didn't see it go in. All of a sudden I heard guys screaming up at the green, which is always a nice feeling.

Q. What was the club and distance?
MARTIN LAIRD: That was, I want to say I had about 116 and it was a 120 shot. We kind of decided to play -- just to throw it behind the pin. I hit a little wedge out of left rough. That was one of the ones I got lucky. The ball kind of sat up in the bermuda rough for me.
Then 18, I hit 7-iron. My caddie wanted to talk me into hitting a 6-iron. I didn't want to. I hit 7-iron and hit a really good shot in there from like 184, maybe 180 to about eight feet.

Q. Did Chez give you any advice on what it takes to win or was it just --
MARTIN LAIRD: No, he didn't really give me any advice. I just asked him like what was it like out there, were you terrified, how nervous were you?
He said he felt relatively calm. Obviously the first couple holes he was a little nervous. He felt good. No, I didn't ask any advice, just enough for him do it was enough to know someone like a rookie like him can do it.

Q. Did you have a big celebration?
MARTIN LAIRD: He was worn out, obviously. It was a long week. He got up at 5 that morning and had to go and play one hole at 7:30 or something and come back for a 1:00 tee time because of all the rain delays. We went out for dinner. Had a couple bottles of wine and kind of had a quiet night.

Q. Did he pay?
MARTIN LAIRD: He didn't, actually. The guys, the clothing company he wears, they're from Toronto so they picked it up that (laughter).
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DOUG MILNE: Didn't he actually have family that he never met before?
MARTIN LAIRD: Yeah, I guess. I remember something about the Reavies up there or something.
DOUG MILNE: That was a great introduction to family members.
MARTIN LAIRD: Great introduction to a lot of people (laughter).
DOUG MILNE: Martin, thanks for your time. Best of luck tomorrow and on the weekend.
MARTIN LAIRD: Thank you.

End of FastScripts