It had been 51 weeks since Martin Laird last posted a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour. And it took amazingly steady play in incredibly difficult conditions on Sunday afternoon and Monday in La Jolla, Calif., to crack the top 10 again.
Despite very stiff winds Sunday and Monday, and strong rain on Sunday at Torrey Pines South, the former Colorado State University golfer parred each of his last 10 holes and finished eighth at the Farmers Insurance Open.
The Scotsman started the final round very poorly on Sunday, playing the first eight holes in 5 over par. But then he steadied the ship despite all the wind and rain on Sunday afternoon. And with the weather leading to the tournament conclusion being pushed back to Monday, he ran his streak of consecutive pars to 10.
Laird’s 5-over-par 77 in the final round — a stroke below the field average — left him at 1-under-par 287 overall, five strokes behind champion Brandt Snedeker, who finished his last round on Sunday.
The top-10 showing was Laird’s first on the PGA Tour since placing seventh at this same event on Feb. 8, 2015. In the 2015-16 wraparound season, Laird hadn’t placed better than 40th until Monday, when he earned $175,500.
Laird, the 2004 Denver Open champion, has won three times on the PGA Tour, with the last coming in 2013.
