Andy Murray wasn't the only Scottish sportsman to find the positives amid the debris of a crushing defeat at the weekend.

Martin Laird's title tilt in the PGA Tour's Waste Management Phoenix Open may have veered off the rails over the closing two holes on Sunday night, but it's very much a case of onwards and upwards for the Glaswegian golfer.

While Murray was left to reflect on his Australian Open defeat in his first Grand Slam final since undergoing back surgery in 2013, Laird was mulling over the one that got away as he continued to show his own signs of recovery.

Since winning his third PGA Tour title at the Valero Texas Open the week before the Masters in 2013, Laird has gone off the boil a bit like a wonky kettle. From being the standard bearer of Scottish golf on the global stage - he reached a high of 21st on the world rankings in 2011 - the 32-year-old has slithered down the pecking order in the last couple of seasons.

With Stephen Gallacher making his mark on this side of the Atlantic and Russell Knox, another American-based Scot, making telling strides on the PGA Tour last year, Laird almost became something of a forgotten man as he fell out of the top 100 in the world.

The former Scottish Youths' champion, who became a father for the first time last year, believes he is heading in the right direction even if there were one or two bumps to deal with on this road to recovery. Leading by three shots heading into the final round in Phoenix on Sunday, Laird saw his hopes of victory scuppered on the last two holes as he leaked a shot on the 17th then double-bogeyed the 18th to fall back into a share of fifth.

It was a sore one to stomach for the Scot but having notched his second top-five finish of the season - and a fourth top-20 in six events - the Hilton Park honorary member is remaining upbeat as the tour rumbles into Torrey Pines this week.

"I feel my game is obviously back to where it was a few years ago, and I feel like I now come to tournaments to try and win again," he said. "You know, a finish like that is hard to take but you've got to take positives out of it. I was leading a golf tournament without feeling like I was playing at my best so if you need a positive, that's it.

"Torrey Pines is one of my favourite courses, if not my favourite course, and I don't see why I can't go there, get in contention again and hopefully get a win."