MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Martin Laird did not know he was taking part in within the Myrtle Seashore Basic till Monday. Three days later, he tied his finest with 9 birdies for a 7-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead Thursday in his second PGA Tour begin of the yr.
Aaron Rye and former world beginner No. 1 Keita Nakajima have been 65 years outdated.
Laird has 4 wins on the PGA Tour, the final coming in fall 2020 in Las Vegas. Andrew Putnam entered when he certified for the $20 million autograph occasion at Quail Hole, leaving the spot open after he withdrew from Myrtle Seashore.
Laird has bounced forwards and backwards between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour occasions he is been capable of attend, however not fairly often. His solely different begin was on the Puerto Rico Open, the place he tied for 57th.
“It is clearly an enormous alternative,” mentioned Laird, 43. “It is all the time nice to have the ability to play in a PGA Tour occasion, even at this age. It is okay to trip, however going forwards and backwards could be tough since you do not actually know the place you are going or how you are going to run.”
He had a terrific run within the opening spherical on the Dunes Golf and Seashore Membership after the rain had stopped. That was the results of utilizing a zero-torque putter and believing my preliminary studying. It appeared to work, as he made eight putts over 10 ft, one wanting his report from his ShotLink days.
If not already eligible, the winner will advance to the PGA Championship. It is too far gone for Laird to consider it after one spherical, nevertheless it’s been 5 years since he final performed within the majors.
John Vanderlaan, Paul Peterson and Mark Hubbard have been 68 years outdated.
Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker was amongst a big group of 67-year-olds, together with Ryan Ruffels, a former PGA Tour participant turned YouTube creator who certified for the occasion by means of a creator-led qualifier.
Brooks Koepka completed tied for seventeenth with 3 underneath.
Info from The Related Press was used on this report.
