Glasgow golfer Martin Laird was today savouring a timely first class delivery as he safeguarded his spot in the end of season FedEx Cup play-offs.

The 33-year-old just missed out on a fourth PGA Tour victory in the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday as he finished in a tie for second, just a shot behind eventual winner Jhonattan Vegas.

Laird, who has toppled down the world rankings and went into last weekend’s event at No 222nd on the global order, continued his welcome return to form as he reeled of his second top 10 in the space of a few weeks and a first podium placing for almost two years.

Laird, whose last win on the PGA circuit came at the Texas Open in 2013, has now moved up to 79th on the Tour’s FedEx Cup rankings and has secured his place in the lucrative end of season play-offs.

The former Scottish Youths’ champ said: “I was aware of where I was in the rankings. I think I was probably more worried about it two months ago, because my game wasn't really good. I was still inside the top 125 but I was falling fast. I really started playing well a few weeks ago, though, and this has put a big smile on my face. I wasn't really too worried about it with the way I was playing but now I really don't have to worry about it at all. I can start playing in the first couple of weeks in the Play-offs now, which is nice.”

Laird, who finished in a share of seventh in the Barracuda Championship at the end of June, was right in the mix in Canada coming down the closing stretch but just couldn’t pull a decisive birdie out of the bag to force his way into a play-off.

He added: “It was a great week and obviously I was happy with it. But there’s a little disappointment right now. I hit great putts on 17 and 18 and they didn't go in. I’m sure I'll look back on this as a solid week though.”