Martin Laird recorded the 34th top-10 finish of his PGA Tour career on Sunday, but there was something a little more special this time around.
The former Colorado State University golfer hadn’t posted back-to-back top-10s in more than three years, but managed that feat this month.
Two weeks after tying for ninth place at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in his hometown of Scottsdale, Laird matched that season-best showing on Sunday at the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., earning $180,000.
Laird (pictured) played his final five holes in 3 under par on the tough Rivera course to shoot a 3-under-par 68 in the final round. His 7-under 277 total left him five strokes behind champion Bubba Watson.
Laird helped his cause considerably with an eagle on the par-5 17th hole on Sunday, when he drained a 15-foot putt.
The last time before this month that Laird recorded back-to-back top-10s on the PGA Tour was in February 2015, when he placed fifth in the Waste Management Phoenix Open and seventh in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Also in tour action on Sunday, Colorado resident Gary Hallberg finished 15th in the Chubb Classic in Naples, Fla., his PGA Tour Champions season opener.
In his best Champions performance since August, Hallberg went 65-70-72 for a 9-under-par 207 total in Naples. He finished 10 strokes behind winner Joe Durant and earned $25,632.
