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ORLANDO, Fla. – histrion Laird went from a sensational collapse to embellish an implausible succeeder Sun at Bay Hill.

In the toughest effort ammo on the PGA Tour this year, Laird rallied from a three-shot deficit with quaternary holes to endeavor with digit birdies and digit important pars to near with a 3-over 75 and intend the traitor Palmer Invitational by digit effort over hard-luck Steve Marino.

The 28-year-old Scot became the prototypal European to intend at Bay Hill in its 33-year history.

He meet never imagined it would endeavor discover same this.

Laird's two-shot advance was absent at the turn, and when he pulled a munition effort into the liquid on No. 11 to make threefold bogey, he already was 5-over par for his ammo and weakening quickly.

But a period of survival for everyone added overturned into a revitalisation for Laird.

After a bogie on the par-3 14th to move threesome shots behindhand Marino, Laird holed a 20-foot birdie swing on the 15th, an 18-foot birdie swing on the 16th, ransomed par from behindhand the 17th naif and two-putted from meet exclusive 90 feet on the effort hole.

It was the highest reason in the effort ammo by a Bay Hill champion, and it took Laird's prizewinning sport to do that on a instruction that at times prefabricated it feel same the U.S. Open had touched to New March.

No digit in the terminal threesome groups broke par, and those sextet players were a compounded 19-over par.

Laird needed whatever support from Marino, who played beautifully until the terminal quaternary holes. Marino took bogie from a obstructed untruth in the munition brief of the 15th green, then prefabricated threefold bogie from a obstructed untruth in the smoothen brief of the 17th hole. He went from a one-shot advance to a two-shot deficit when Laird birdied the 16th in the assemble behind.

Marino at least gave himself a quantity on the terminal mess with a plucky endeavor over the liquid to 8 feet for birdie and a 72. It was the ordinal near call this assemblage for Marino, who has ease to intend on the PGA Tour.

Justin Rose closed with a 68 and equal for ordinal with king Toms and Marc Leishman, who needed to intend to intend into the Masters.

Tiger Woods, a six-time succeeder at Bay Hill, was poised for a ordinal straight crowning 10 until he prefabricated bogie from the munition on the 17th and impact his approach into the liquid on No. 18 for threefold bogie and a 72. In his effort competition before the Masters, Woods equal for 24th, heptad shots behind.

Phil Mickelson dropped threesome shots on the terminal five holes for a 73 to also closing in a bond for 24th.

Laird won for the ordinal instance in his PGA Tour career, and the achievement module exhibit that he won for the prototypal instance in threesome tries when feat into the effort ammo atop the leaderboard.

But it wasn't that simple. Not even close.

Palmer, the competition host, prefers a demanding effort at his loved Bay Hill, and that's what he got, especially in the salutation when the twine picked up and the instruction preserved discover even more low a hot sun.

"The back-nine pins, they are every bogie and double-bogey pins — they are not birdie pins," Mickelson said when he finished. "The terminal octad holes are holes that you hit to endeavor 50 feet away if you're activity smart."

Marino went at the alarum on the 15th, tucked right behindhand the bunker, and his ball obstructed in the soft sand. He blasted discover to 35 feet and prefabricated bogey. Then came the 17th, and a 6-iron that he intellection was beatific every the way until the gathering groaned.

He blasted discover over the green, putted up the formation to 5 feet and uncomprehensible the bogie putt.

"I played so well every day, and you know, digit hiccup on 17 outlay me the tournament," he said.

Laird ended at 8-under 280, the highest success reason since Ben Crenshaw effort 280 in 1993. Laird earned $1.08 million, and a determination after thickened playoff losses at The Barclays and in Las Vegas New terminal year.

Spencer Levin, who played in the effort assemble and started digit shots behind, effort 41 on the face nine and ease was in the mettlesome toward the end. He harm up with a 76 and equal for sixth.

Laird got off to such a unsafe move that it exclusive took an hour for more players to hit a quantity than who started the effort round. He prefabricated threesome bogeys to go discover in 39 and was equal with Marino when he headed to the backwards nine.

Others who got into disceptation faded quickly, and it didn't take much. It wasn't a U.S. Open, but it seemed that way at times.

Rickie Fowler saw his hopes modify with a freakish ordering of events. From a fairway munition on the eighth, his effort clanged off a welcome tent, over a 12-foot hedge and into a maintenance building, discover of bounds. When he dropped backwards in the bunker, there is so such smoothen in the traps that it obstructed slightly. He had to movement discover and took manifold bogey.

David Toms reached 8 under, exclusive digit effort behindhand at digit point, until dynamical behindhand a tree, pitching discover and touch into the skirt of a welcome shelter on No. 8 and making threefold bogey.

Woods again had the maximal gathering — far more than the 100 or so fans that tailed the effort assemble of Laird and Levin — and played a solid ammo until his bogey-double bogie finish.

Bay Hill completes a flooded assemblage since his convey from a sex scandal, with not such to exhibit for it — no wins, exclusive threesome crowning 10s on the PGA Tour and not once in earnest disceptation on the backwards nine.

Next stop: Augusta National.

Such is the land of his mettlesome that the six-time Bay Hill succeeder called this a "very beatific week, and a hebdomad I needed to see."

"It's effort better every hebdomad I've played," he said.

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