Colorado State alumnus and former member of the Rams men’s golf team, Martin Laird qualified for the 2017 Open Championship with a third place finish at the Quicken Loans National in Maryland over the weekend.

The 34-year-old from Scotland finished the four-day tournament with an excellent performance on Sunday, carding a three-under-par 67 to finish five under for the tournament and tying for third with Rickie Fowler (USA). His performance was highlighted by a 39-yard birdie on the par-4 14th hole.

“Anytime you can play in an Open, that’s my favorite tournament of the year,” said Laird in an interview with BBC. “To have the chance to play it anytime is special. I’ve heard great things about Birkdale.”

Of those that finished in the top-five, Laird was only non-American, finishing behind a pair of U.S. golfers Charles Howell (-7) and Kyle Stanley (-7). 

Laird graduated from CSU with a degree in marketing in 2004 and has been on the professional circuit since. He cracked the top 100 in the World Golf Rankings for the first time in 2009 and became the first CSU golfer to qualify for the Masters in 2011. 

For the year, Laird has made the cut in 15 of the 19 events he has competed in, finishing in the top-ten on five occasions. Laird’s estimated earnings for the 2017 season are roughly $1.6 million.

Laird was not the only former CSU golfer in action over the weekend. Fellow alumnus Blake Cannon made his professional debut, finishing fifth in the Great Life Yankton Fox Run GC in Yankton, South Dakota. 

Collegian sports director Justin Michael can be reached by email at jmichael@collegian.com or Twitter @JustinTMichael.