It is shaping up to be a busy 2014 for Martin Laird.
His American-born wife, Meagan, is expecting the couple's first child a fortnight before he defends his Valero Texas Open title on the PGA Tour in March. By then, the race to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team will be in full flow and Laird is hopeful he can barge his way in among the frontrunners.
The 30-year-old from Glasgow, who is teaming up with Stephen Gallacher at Royal Melbourne this week in the lucrative World Cup of Golf, is once again playing catch-up in the European qualifying points list, which started at the end of August in Wales, due to the fact that his membership of the European Tour had lapsed.
He has renewed that status, however, and has been informed that he can start accumulating Ryder Cup points immediately, instead of having to wait until January 1.
"I've only just rejoined the Tour last week so the world rankings points I gain this week will go towards hopefully qualifying," explained Laird, who will be keen to make an impact in the World Cup this week both on the team front for Scotland and in the individual contest, which itself boasts a purse of $7m and carries world ranking points for the first time.
After securing his third PGA Tour victory in Texas earlier this year, Laird's campaign meandered to a fairly uneventful conclusion and the former Scottish Youths' champion knows he has to focus on his own game and not be distracted by Ryder Cup talk.
"I want to play in any Ryder Cup team and Gleneagles is a special incentive," added Laird, who has recently hired the services of New Zealander Michael Waite, the caddie who helped Michael Campbell win the 2005 US Open.
"But the way my golf game has been the last few months I need to concentrate more on that than trying to make the team. Saying that, I know that if I can have a hot start to the New Year then maybe qualifying for the European Team will be a topic for discussion."
Laird is making his first visit to Melbourne this week - he did play a Nationwide Tour event in Adelaide back in 2007 - and the Scot has been impressed by the host venue which is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. "I've heard so much about Royal Melbourne but it is a lot better than I expected in that it is a fantastic second-shot course," he observed.
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