Martin Laird hasn’t quite become the 21st-century Greg Norman, but in the last two months the former Colorado State golfer can certainly lay claim to being snake-bitten — or should we say shark-bitten? — in playoffs.
Norman, of course, had several tournament victories ripped from his jaws when opponents holed spectacular shots from off the green. Bob Tway, Larry Mize and Robert Gamez all did it to the Aussie.
Laird can relate, especially after what happened to him Sunday at the Justin Timberlake PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, where he was the defending champion. The Scotsman, a 2004 CSU graduate, led going into the final round and eventually finished regulation play in a three-way tie for first place at 21 under par. But with the sun close to setting while on the fourth playoff hole, Jonathan Byrd virtually ended things with a tee shot, making a hole-in-one at a 204-yard par-3.
Stunned by the turn of events — it was the first ace ever in a PGA Tour sudden-death playoff — Laird and Cameron Percy promptly hit tee shots into the water and had to settle for a second-place tie.
“It was going to take something special to win it, the way we were all playing, and it certainly did,” said Laird, whose first professional win came at the 2004 Denver Open.
It was the second time in the last two months that fate hasn’t smiled on Laird when he was in position to claim his second Tour victory.
In late August at the Barclays in New Jersey, Laird never trailed during regulation in the final round and three-putted the 18th hole from 23 feet to fall into a tie with Matt Kuchar. Then, playing the 18th hole again in sudden death, Kuchar hit a very fortuitous approach shot from the left rough. His ball ran up the right side of the green, then curled back around and finished just 2½ feet from the flag.
While Laird carded a regulation par, Kuchar holed the birdie putt for the win.
The recent two runner-up finishes leave Laird with three seconds in the last 15 months, in addition to his 2009 Las Vegas victory.
While Laird has been denied another win, his bank account is overflowing with his recent strong play. Just since the beginning of August, the 27-year-old has picked up $1.52 million in Tour winnings. And over the last 15 months, that figure jumps to $3.3 million.
Laird, who won a playoff for his Vegas victory last year, has made a corresponding leap up the World Golf Rankings. The ex-Ram now stands 55th in the world, in addition to 35th on the 2010 Tour money list.
Laird’s second-place finish on Sunday was part of a remarkable week for tour players with strong Colorado connections. All three of the top U.S.-based men’s tours had a local player place in the top five on Sunday.
Mark Wiebe of Aurora finished second to Fred Couples at the Administaff Small Business Classic in Texas, marking his best showing on the Champions Tour since his last win, in April 2008. In the process, Wiebe jumped up 10 spots on the 2010 Champions money list, to 30th ($582,546).
And in Florida, Parker’s Shane Bertsch ended up fifth at the Nationwide Jacksonville Open — by far his best showing since returning to action after breaking his right hand in February. Bertsch, who is expected to receive a medical extension and resume competing on the PGA Tour in 2011, has made two cuts in five tournaments during his recent rehabilitation stint on the Nationwide Tour.
Meanwhile, another player with Colorado ties didn’t fare so well last week on tour. Colorado School of Mines graduate Marty Jertson qualified for the PGA Tour’s Justin Timberlake tournament, but missed the cut with round of 74-75.
