GIVEN that he's won three titles on the toughest tour in the world, it would be harsh on Martin Laird to say that he has become something of a forgotten man.

Yet, this is a fickle old pursuit. Like a wonky fan heater, we hard-to-please commentators in the golfing media randomly blow hot and cold while regularly switching between gushing veneration and shrugging apathy like hyperactive halfwits gleefully tugging at a pull-cord light.

Russell Knox, Laird's fellow Scot on the PGA Tour, may not have won yet in the US but his steady climb up the order has grabbed a fair bit of attention over the past year or so. Even Dornoch exile Jimmy Gunn, the world No.872, has barged his way into the public consciousness by finishing in the top-30 of the US Open recently.

Laird is not one to concern himself with column inches, of course, but the 32-year-old is well aware that the last 18 months have been far from headline-grabbing. Four years ago, Laird was riding high in 21st place on the global order following the second of his three PGA Tour wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Here at Gullane this week, the Glasgow exile has pitched up for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in 150th spot.

In the midst of this dip, Laird became a father for the first time. So it's all the new bairn's fault is it? "Maybe it is," said Laird with a smile. "It's hard to say. I might have had this dip anyway. Being a dad is brilliant and it makes it a little bit easier to cut off practice half an hour earlier to get home and see him."

Despite these proud, paternal duties, Laird's drive and determination to clamber back into the game's upper echelons remains and he has returned to his homeland in good spirits. Following a trio of top-10 finishes on the US circuit earlier in the campaign, the Hilton Park honorary member went off the boil but the former Scottish Youths' champion is seeing signs of progress again. In many ways, Laird's journey along the A198 to this week's venue has been one performed under the radar.

"For a few weeks, it was the old 'playing really well, it's just not showing yet'," said Laird, who is also vying for three Open places that are on offer for the leading non-exempt players in the top-10. "Then finally last week at the Travellers Championship, I finished 15th and it was one of those weeks that could have been a lot better. It was a week where I felt like I played okay and finished 15th, which is a good sign. I was having weeks where I felt like I was playing well and finishing 40th. So I'm always happy when I really don't feel like I've played that good but I have a good finish.

"I guess you could say I'm coming in here under the radar because I've really not been playing my best for a couple of years. Nobody puts more pressure on me to win this than I do myself. If I come here and I'm playing well and people are talking about me as one who can win it, or if I come here not playing well and nobody's talking about me to win it, I still feel the same. I want to win it just as much and I feel like I can win it. Coming into a tournament that you want to win and feeling like it's one you can win puts pressure on you but that's what motivates me. I've always said that outside the majors, this is the one I'd want to win."

Getting back in the swing of the links game, with all its blustery quirks and thought-provoking nuances, is something Laird is relishing. As a man from the west, Gullane was never a course he made many treks to before he ventured forth to the US. The fare this week will be completely different to the staple diet of PGA Tour courses and Laird is looking forward to broadening his golfing palate again.

"It always takes me at least nine holes or maybe a practice round to get used to the clubbing because you forget how to play in those winds that links golf throws at you," he said, on a day when the course got another drooking from above. "When you're playing in America, generally the weather's pretty good, and you can hit it miles. Then you come over here and you hit a 5-iron 150 yards. It takes a couple of days to get that in to your head. It might not be a course that people pick me to win on, but it's my favourite type of golf."

Today at Gullane, it's "Tartan Wednesday" and all and sundry are encouraged to wear the kind of garish attire that would make Liberace blush. Come Sunday night, Laird will be hoping to be dressed for success on Scottish soil.