Laird aims to end PGA Tour debut on playoff high

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After making a relatively low-key start to his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Britain's Martin Laird has set his sights on a sprint finish.

The 25-year-old buried memories of eight missed cuts in his first 14 tournaments with consecutive ties for fourth to book his place in this week's lucrative Barclays Classic.

With three more FedExCup playoff events remaining after that, he hopes to qualify for at least one of them to end his debut campaign on a high.

"My goals at the start of this year were to make the top 70 in the money list and to try and win an event," Laird told Reuters in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

"It didn't look as though I would get them for a while but now, if I keep playing the way I am, I might have a chance."

Helped by his fourth-place finishes at the Reno-Tahoe Open and last week's Wyndham Championship, the Scot lies 135th in the PGA Tour money list with earnings of $490,100.

More significantly, he has climbed 36 spots to 128th in the FedExCup standings, high enough to qualify among the top 144 for the first playoff event this week in Paramus, New Jersey.

"Six weeks ago I wasn't anywhere close to getting into the playoffs but I have played really good the last five events and worked my way in there," Laird said.