ORLANDO, Fla. — Martin Laird leads by two in today’s final round at Bay Hill, where Tiger Woods had a rare early tee time for a Sunday. Can Laird win for the second time in his career on the PGA TOUR, or will Spencer Levin catch him? Or will it be someone like Bubba Watson or Rickie Fowler? The supposed 20-mph winds that were supposed to come today haven’t so far.
Laird’s par-5 dominance the difference
ORLANDO, Fla. — A big reason Martin Laird is atop the leaderboard in the final round at Bay Hill is because he’s doing to the par-5s what a certain six-time winner here has done in the past: Dominate them.
Laird has made birdie or better on nine of the 12 par-5s he’s played so far and has a stroke average of 4.17 — best in the field.
By comparison, Tiger Woods has made just four birdies and one eagle on his par-5s through the first three rounds for a stroke average of just over 4.5.
And part of the reason Laird has played those par-5s so well? His accuracy off the tee this week. He leads the field in total driving (distance plus accuracy).
One other side note on Laird, who is coming off back-to-back top-10s in his last two starts. Should he go on to win, he’ll move from 21st to fourth in the FedExCup standings. — Brian Wacker
More:
Tour Report: Your open thread to Rd. 4 at Bay Hill (PGATOUR.com)