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Laird has been working on his putting ahead of the season's final major. Photo: Getty.

We completely changed my pre-shot routine and how I visualise putts before I hit them, actually working on seeing the ball going in the hole as opposed to worrying about making a perfect stroke and being lined up absolutely perfectly.

It has been a frustrating year on the greens so far and I am definitely looking forward to this week more now that I've got some confidence back from the results I saw at Firestone.

Looking back at my results from the last three years, I always seem to be a very slow starter and then about this time of year I do find a bit of form that continues through the end of the season.

Hopefully last week's finish was the start of my summer and fall run and I've some big finishes coming up soon, starting right here at the PGA Championship!

My past record in majors is not impressive at all - four missed cuts in four attempts - so I'm changing my routine up a little this week. Normally for the majors I make sure I get to the venue on the Sunday before so that I can play the course on the Monday, Tuesday and probably also at least nine holes on the Wednesday.

In between these practice rounds I will spend all day on the range/putting green/short game area trying to sharpen my game up as much as I can.

I'm not sure why, but in the past I've felt like I have to put in extra work for these tournaments as they are so big. So much so, that by the time my tee time comes around on Thursday, I am overly anxious to get started and am probably almost over prepared.

I really do believe that it is possible to over prepare and put extra pressure on yourself to perform. You've spent so much time practising and getting ready so you have to play well! When you think like that you'll find that you very rarely do play at your best.

So this week I'm being a lot more relaxed and treating it just like any other tournament. I've found out that a major week can definitely drain your energy levels quickly if you are out there all day grinding Monday-Wednesday.

Hopefully I can go out there and enjoy myself more on Thursday and get off to a great start that continues all the way through Sunday.

After watching a lot of the top players in the world struggle last week at Firestone it really does give you the belief that it's maybe more possible now to win a major than it has been in a while, when and have been so dominant.

I still do think that Tiger and Phil will find a way to be competitive this week and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they are within firing distance come Sunday. It was pretty obvious that Tiger was ready to get his rounds over with last week as quickly as he could. I know he'll have a slightly different focus this week.

I've found it slightly different coming to the PGA Championship for the first time in that I've not really heard the same talk about it or felt the same buzz as you normally do the couple of weeks before the other three majors.

I'm not sure why that is but there definitely is a little difference about this week. It may be because most of the players have known for a while that they are exempt into the field, compared to The Open or US Open when there are qualifying spots available just a week or two before the championships begin.

However, I'm sure that when it all gets going all the players will be just as focused as they would be for the other three majors and the pressure will be just as large coming down the stretch on Sunday.

There is so much at stake when trying to win a major. Not only do you get to put your name in the history books and reach the absolute pinnacle of your sport, there is also a five-year tour exemption that comes with it. Not to mention all the sponsorship doors that will open once you make that breakthrough.

These are things that you definitely do know and think about during the year and everyone knows what's at stake. However, I really doubt that when you are standing over a six-footer to win a major that that's what is going through your head.

If you do have those things going through your head, you probably will never have that six-footer in the first place.

It is amazing when you get in 'the zone' how you really don't think about things that you imagined you would. I realised that last year in .

At no point in the final round was I thinking about the money or the bonuses that come with a win.

All I was thinking about was trying to win and giving myself the best shot to do that. It's afterwards that you get to sit back and enjoy all that comes along with a win. I know I sure would like to sit back this time next week and think about where in my house to put the Wanamaker Trophy!