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THE BARCLAYS

August 28, 2010

Martin Laird

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY

THE MODERATOR: Martin, thanks for joining us here in the interview room at the Barclays. You've improved by two shots each day this week. 6-under par 65 today. Just talk about the round and talk about your position going into tomorrow, if you would.
MARTIN LAIRD: Got off to a great start. Birdieing 2, 3, 4, 5. The course is definitely playing tougher today. The greens start to get kind of how I remembered it a couple of years ago and how I like it, nice and firm and fast.
And I felt comfortable out there all day. Didn't drive the ball particularly well, but when I did miss it, I missed it in the right spot and managed to scramble pretty well.
THE MODERATOR: Just talk about your thoughts going into tomorrow with the lead and do you draw on maybe your past experience here in '08 playing well.
MARTIN LAIRD: Yeah, you know, I knew I was leading. I didn't look at the leaderboard to see what my lead was out there. I was just trying to play the course like it was, like I did the last couple of days. And I remember doing two years ago.
And I remember two years ago I played -- I can't remember what position I was on Sunday, I played really good on Sunday, maybe shot 5-under, moved up a lot. I know I'm capable of doing it again.
I'm playing really well. The putter's nice and hot. And that's what you need when the greens get like this. Doesn't matter how good you play, you'll have four, five, six-foot putts for par. Today I made them.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I can't remember the details where you were in Vegas headed in the last day, were you behind, were you late in the week, snuck up and got that one?
MARTIN LAIRD: I was in the last group, but I think I was one back. I remember when I made the turn, I don't remember what I shot in the front. I remember I had a one-shot lead but when I started the day I was one back.

Q. Can you say what you like about the course, this course?
MARTIN LAIRD: I love it. I don't think there's a bad hole on this golf course. I've been raving about this course since we were here two years ago. I think it's the best one we play. You have to hit every shot here. Tee shots you have to turn it right to left and tee shots left to right. Hole like 17 perfect example. Draw it off the tee and cut your second shot. There's not many courses where they're winding through large trees like that and have that good of a design.
As I said, I think there's really not two holes that are similar either. For me it's a great golf course.

Q. You obviously had a good experience with the playoffs two years ago but last year you didn't make them; do you remember what you were doing last year?
MARTIN LAIRD: Yeah, my fiancee and I, we went back to England for a couple of weeks. I have two sisters that live there. And we went there, had a little vacation and saw the family.
I didn't touch a club for probably two or three weeks, came back and played well after that. A little different this year.

Q. A little background on you. Colorado State, you pretty much based in the U.S. through all your professional career, right, why is that?
MARTIN LAIRD: I've been here ten years now. Came over in 2000. Went to Colorado State. I went there. When I came over I've never been to the States before. I just committed to coming to Colorado State. I liked the coach and I liked the sound of the state and the town wasn't too big. And they gave me a good scholarship offer and I came over and thought I'd give it -- if I didn't like it, I could go back home. I made a great decision. I loved it up there. We had a good golf team, and I got better every year over my four years.
When I graduated, I went to Q-School that first year, turned pro and got through and got my Nationwide card. That's probably why I'm still here, so to speak. Who knows if I had missed Q-School that first year, I might have gone back to Europe and tried that.
I got through there that first year and as you said I've been here ever since.

Q. A gradual ascent for you. You made the putt to keep your card on the last day of Disney, you won a tournament last year, now here. You are playing with the varsity this week and beating all these guys?
MARTIN LAIRD: Yeah, I'm not a goal-setter. My goal is just to get better every year. That's the only one I really set. I don't have any specific ones. I feel like I've done that. Even from my first year on Nationwide Tour, I played terrible, lost my card. Next year I finished top 25. As you said, barely kept my card. Won last year out here.
Getting more comfortable. Learning a lot more. My short game was what held me back in the past.
Definitely this week it's probably the strongest point in my game. And that's -- that's the thing you learn quickly playing on the PGA TOUR. It's all about from 50, 60 yards in if you want to be the top of the leader boards.

Q. Do you find it ironic Monte looking across the leaderboard that you're on top of it?
MARTIN LAIRD: I've not really felt about the Ryder Cup at all. Some guys, they're shouting that Monte was keeping an eye on me. I've not played well enough this year to think I was a consideration.
So I guess some other guys are probably playing this week with a little extra pressure on them. I have not got that one on me yet. Who knows what he'll do.

Q. You came in here at 95 in the standings; was there any part of you that was thinking first step just trying to get to next week?
MARTIN LAIRD: I think the last -- I think since Firestone I've moved up every week in the standings. And just kind of thought if I keep doing that, keep progressing, going the right way up to the FedExCup every week all the way through, who knows where it will take me. I didn't think I'd come in here, move that much. If I play tomorrow, no, definitely not. I knew my game was -- well, playing really well the last four or five weeks and it's nice to finally have some results.

Q. You can move up a lot tomorrow?
MARTIN LAIRD: I realized that. I caught a glimpse of the projected FedExCup and I got a little shock. (Laughter).

Q. What's your top three courses in Scotland? I went over there in 1986. I'm curious, do you have any particular favorites?
MARTIN LAIRD: I do. Even though I didn't play well at the Open, I love St. Andrews. And Turnberry is a good one and Muirfield. But I've got to put Loch Lomond in my top three in Scotland. It's a pretty American-style golf course but one of the prettiest golf courses if you get it on a nice day. It's definitely in there.

Q. (Inaudible) is nice?
MARTIN LAIRD: I've played that too. That's good.

Q. After ten years after they go home do they think you've got an American accent?
MARTIN LAIRD: It doesn't take me long. Couple days with my friends making fun of me and I soon start talking like them again.

Q. Details --
THE MODERATOR: Go through your birdies and bogeys. Birdies, I guess.
MARTIN LAIRD: No. 2, that was a perfect cut, 6-iron good shot in there. That was kind of a good sign to start of the day because yesterday anytime I tried to hit a cut I hit a terrible golf shot. Anybody who has seen me play, that's my bread and butter hitting and nice to stand up hit a perfect cut six-iron in there to about four or five feet. Then on 3 I laid it up and pretty wedge shot, holed a 30-footer. And then No. 4 I had terrible tee shot, 3-wood way right and I had to punch a 5-iron through the trees. And shot over the green on the left. Kind of thinned a sand wedge which was kind of the first cut there. Rolled that down there and that went in. And then 5 I hit driver in the front-left bunker which was kind of where I was aiming if it cut onto the green it was fine, had a good bunker shot to maybe four, five feet.
And then No. 10 was the exact same as No. 2, another perfect cut, six-iron, hit it and I pretty much hit identical shot, five feet short right on the line.
And then 17, that was the best drive of the day for me. That's probably the hardest tee shot on the course for me, dogleg right to left. Hit 5-wood up to the green and 2-putted from there.

Q. How did you end up on the Colorado State's radar to know enough to throw --
MARTIN LAIRD: I played for the Scottish Boys National side. I was only 17 years old when I came over. So I was young. And I kind of sent out some feelers to try and kind of see where to go and there was a company in Britain that helps with that called, I think it's College Prospects of America, I think they're called, and I used them. And it's just a way for people from Europe to kind of be on the radar.
I used that. And ended up at Colorado State.

Q. You pay them a fee, they kind of market you?
MARTIN LAIRD: To be honest, I can't remember exactly what it is. I know they maybe have a website. It's just a little bio about the players kind of thing.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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