Laird Makes Ideal Debut at Home

LUSS, Scotland - Martin Laird had the ideal debut on his native soil Thursday, twice chipping in for a birdie on his way to a 6-under 65 that left him one shot behind Richard Green among early starters in the Scottish Open.

It is not usual for a Scot to play well before family and friends at Loch Lomond, although Laird is a peculiar case.

In his fifth year as a pro, this was his first playing the European Tour.

He was recruited to play college golf at Colorado State, went to the Nationwide Tour and advanced to the PGA Tour, where he kept his card last year as a rookie by finishing at No. 125 on the money list.

Laird, a 28-year-old who now lives in Arizona, received an exemption to the Barclays Scottish Open and made the most of it. Out in the morning, when the conditions were still along the banks of Loch Lomond, he played bogey-free and finished with a flourish. After a pedestrian 9-iron to 30 feet on the par-3 eighth, he holed for a birdie, then curled in a 10-foot birdie on the ninth for his 65.

His grandparents drove over from Fife to watch him play for the first time. His parents were in the gallery, along with an uncle and his girlfriend. Laird made it worth their trip.

"Yesterday, all day it was hitting me," he said of his European Tour debut. "Once I got over the ball, I was excited and ready to go."

Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie and Geoff Ogilvy were among the late starters, along with Nick Faldo, playing his first European Tour event since knighthood.

Whoever played with Green in the pro-am might not recognize the guy who shot 64 in the opening round.

Green came to Loch Lomond in good form, with three straight top-10 finishes in Wales, Germany and France. But he felt his swing get out of whack during the pro-am Wednesday, and headed straight to the range to figure it out. He settled down after a 3-wood into 35 feet on the 13th, his fourth hole of the round, and making the long eagle putt with some eight feet of break.

Green was one shot clear of Laird, Graeme Storm and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Ryder Cup player Soren Hansen was in the group at 67, while 20-year-old Rory McIlroy dazzled with his tartan trousers and a 68.

McIlroy ran a contest on his Web site asking fans to vote on what he should wear, sticking with the Scottish theme. His game was up to the task, especially on the 13th when he fired a 3-iron form 232 yards to within three feet for an eagle.