Sport

Laird goes two clear of field in Florida

Golf: Scotland’s Martin Laird will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational tomorrow.

Sat Mar 26 2011 - 00:00

Golf:Scotland's Martin Laird will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational tomorrow.

Laird held a one-shot cushion after 36 holes at Bay Hill following a superb second round of 65 on Friday.

And the Glasgow-born 28-year-old managed to double that advantage with a third round of 70, finishing 11 under par and two clear of playing partner Spencer Levin.

“This is a carry over from the end of last year and it gives you the confidence to go out and hold the lead and hopefully do the same tomorrow,” Laird said. “If I can win tomorrow it will mean a lot.”

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Laird, whose previous win came in Las Vegas in 2009, started steadily with three pars, but then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the fourth.

The world number 40 holed from around five feet on the fourth and fifth, before two-putting from long range for birdie on the par-five sixth.

At that point he was four shots clear, but narrowly missed the chance to make it four in a row on the next before playing partner Levin cut the gap with a birdie on the same hole.

Laird then did well to salvage a bogey on the eighth after his approach to the green plugged in a bunker.

With water lurking dangerously behind the pin, Laird played away from the flag and saw his recovery roll off the front of the putting surface.

From there he chipped to five feet and calmly holed to avoid a costly double bogey.

Laird also saved par after missing the ninth green with his approach, before picking up another birdie on the par-five 12th.

Consecutive bogeys on the 14th and 15th threatened to derail the Scot’s challenge, but a birdie on the 16th making it four birdies on the four par-fives stopped the rot.

Tiger Woods began the day six shots off the lead but ended it 10 behind after a 74 which included an eagle and two birdies, but also four bogeys and a double-bogey six.

The former world number one eagled the par-five sixth from 11 feet, but bogeyed the eighth and then threw his driver to the ground in frustration after another wayward tee shot on the ninth.

Woods managed to save par there but was clearly not firing on all cylinders, labelling himself a “chicken” after playing away from a tricky pin position on the 11th.

He perhaps should have done so again on the 13th but instead found the water in front of the green to run up a double-bogey six and end any faint hopes he had of contending.