Martin Laird thrilled the crowds on his return to Scotland with a blistering start to the Scottish Open.

The 26-year-old, who is a regular on the PGA Tour in America, carded a superb six under round of 65 to move to joint second with Graeme Storm, Paul McGinley and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

Australian left-hander Richard Green grabbed the lead with a superb 64 but Laird, competing at Loch Lomond for the first time since he was 14, was delighted with his round.

"There was no extra motivation to show the Scottish fans what I could do, I'm just here to play as well as I can and see where it takes me," said laird.

"I've been feeling pretty good in the last few weeks and I've been playing well in rounds but getting nothing out of them.

"I didn't actually play as well as I have been but it's great that I've posted a good score and it's something to build on."