Vikki Laing looking to be local hero in Ladies' Scottish Open
FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Musselburgh's Vikki Laing came close to making the breakthrough on the Ladies European Tour in Switzerland earlier in the year and has been knocking at the door on a couple of other occasions.
Now the 29-year-old, pictured right, is hoping some home comforts can help her chalk up a first success on the circuit in this week's Ladies' Scottish Open at Archerfield Links.
The 54-hole event tees off tomorrow at the East Lothian venue without North Berwick's Catriona Matthew, who is playing in one of the LPGA Tour's biggest tournaments in Oregon later in the week.
But hopes of a local success as the Scottish event makes a welcome return to the LET circuit are still high in the shape of Laing.
A four-time Scottish girls' champion, Laing started her professional career in the United States, where she won the PAC-10 Championship in 2003 during a spell studying sociology at the University of California.
She held a card for the LPGA Tour for a spell and won the Gettysburg Championship on the Futures Tour in 2007 - one of six top-ten finishes that season.
But Laing, who played in the Junior Ryder Cup and also the Curtis Cup in 2002, returned home last year to try her luck on the European circuit. With the splendid Kings Acre Golf Academy as her base, the East Lothian player is currently lying 18th on the money list with earnings of just under £66,000 from 14 events.
She was second in the Swiss Open and sixth equal in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. Last week, she led after the opening round of the Wales Open and was still in contention at halfway before falling back after a third-round 80.
Laing believes she is close to recording that first win and admits this week would be the perfect time for that to happen.
"I would take any win but if it came in my own backyard I certainly wouldn't say 'no' to it," she said.
"I am definitely looking forward to this week. It will be so nice to be staying at home when I'm playing in a tournament.
"I've played at Archerfield a few times and hopefully the (pro-am] format will be a bit of fun."
Laing played in the Scottish Open at The Carrick two years ago but reckons her game is in much better shape going into this week's event.
In the absence of both Matthew and Jancie Moodie, she'll be leading the home challenge along with the likes of Mhairi McKay, Carly Booth, Krystle Caithness, Pamela Feggans, Lynn Kenny, Kathryn Imrie, Clare Queen and Kylie Walker.