LAS VEGAS — Martin Laird has put together two great rounds at TPC Summerlin, following a second-round 62 with a 63.
Now the Scot, who graduated from Colorado State, is trying to follow his breakthrough victory with a successful title defense.
Laird eagled the 310-yard, par-4 15th — driving the green and holing a 6-foot putt — and closed with three pars to take a one-stroke lead over Jonathan Byrd on Saturday in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open.
“I really left myself the easiest putt on the green,” he said. “It was a right-edge, up-the-hill putt. That’s the one most of us would want if we had six feet for eagle.”
Last year, Laird won the event for his first PGA Tour title, beating George McNeill with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff. Chad Campbell was eliminated on the second extra hole.
“It’s completely different because last year it was probably the best chance I’ve had to date to win a tournament and I was 134th or something on the money list,” said Laird, 43rd on the money list this season. “So there was a lot more pressure on me last year than this year. It’s definitely a little more relaxed week than last year, knowing that I’ve had a good year so far.”
Laird, a playoff loser to Matt Kuchar in The Barclays this year, had a 19-under 194 total on the rain-softened course in the fourth of five Fall Series events.
“It’s been a good three days and, even after only shooting 2-under the first day, I was pretty confident that I could post three low ones in a row to get back in contention,” Laird said.
Pavin leads Wiebe by one stroke
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin shot a 4-under 68 to maintain a one-stroke lead in the Champions Tour’s Administaff Small Business Classic. Pavin had a 10-under 134 total.
Coloradan Mark Wiebe (68) was in second place while Fred Couples (65), trying to overtake Bernhard Langer in the Charles Schwab Cup points race, was at 8-under.
Footnotes.
Sweden’s Maria Hjorth shot her second straight 3-under 68 for a share of the second-round lead with South Korea’s Jee Young Lee (70) in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
• John Parry set a course record at the Castello Masters in Spain with a 9-under 63, only to have Gary Boyd equal it soon after and take a two-stroke lead after the third round. The Associated Press
