Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird made 18 birdies and just three bogeys over his final 67 holes of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. That might seem like it would be good enough for the Scotsman to notch his fourth PGA Tour victory, but not quite.
Instead, Laird (pictured) had to settle for his best finish on Tour since being runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open in July. The 2004 Denver Open champion, who started the final round of the Phoenix Open just a shot out of the lead, couldn’t get anything going Sunday at TPC Scottsdale and tied for seventh.
The good news is that Laird has posted three top-10s in six PGA Tour starts this season. The not-so-good news is that he didn’t make a birdie on Sunday (16 pars, two bogeys), which doesn’t translate into winning at an event such as the Phoenix Open.
As it was, Laird’s final-round 73 gave him a 13-under-par 271 total, which left him four strokes out of a playoff that was won by Hideki Matsuyama. It was the Scottsdale resident’s third top-10 showing at the Phoenix Open since 2011.
Also posting his best PGA Tour finish of the season on Sunday was Denver native Mark Hubbard, who placed 42nd at 6-under-par 278.
Both Coloradans who Monday qualified for the Phoenix Open, Jim Knous of Littleton and Michael Schoolcraft of Denver, missed the 36-hole cut. For more on them, CLICK HERE.
Here are the scores for all the competitors with strong Colorado connections:
7. Former CSU golfer Martin Laird 67-66-65-73–271
42. Denver native Mark Hubbard 69-69-71-69–278
Missed 36-Hole Cut
91. Jim Knous of Littleton 70-73–143
131. Michael Schoolcraft of Denver 80-73–153
For the entire Phoenix Open leaderboard, CLICK HERE.
