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Laird punches his Masters ticket in San Antonio

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Martin Laird started the final round of the Valero Texas Open five shots back of the lead, but after nine birdies and no bogeys, Laird walked away with a punched ticket for The Masters and the 2013 Valero Texas Open title at TPC San Antonio.

Laird tied the course record with a final-round 63 and birdied Nos. 16, 17 and 18 en route to a two-shot win at 14-under par 274. It is Laird’s third PGA Tour victory, and first since the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Laird used just 22 putts to get around the 7,522 yard course. Both Laird and Horschel, the Round 3 leader, were seeking to become the final player in the field at Augusta. But Laird had the hot hand, and Horschel, the Tour’s total birdies leader, cooled off under the Texas sun with a one-under 71 and 11-under total.

Laird is the first player since Johnson Wagner in 2008 to play his way into Augusta the week before The Masters.

With his win, the Scotsman breaks the streak of 14 consecutive American victories on Tour to begin the season, and 16 consecutive victories dating back to the McGladrey Classic at the end of the 2012 season.

Also making a strong final round push was Rory McIlroy who closed with a 6-under 66 to take second place. McIlroy’s somewhat controversial entry into the event was justified by his strong finish. Many players, especially those of McIlroy’s caliber, elect to take the week off before a major in favor of practicing. McIlroy, however, entered the tournament to build confidence in his swing and equipment changes and also get acclimated to playing toward the top of the leaderboard again.

His second-place finish was the best of his season, and should quiet criticism that McIlroy’s game is not at a level where he can compete at Augusta next week.

Also posting his best finish of the year was Jim Furyk, who tied for third with Horschel at 11-under par.

Laird earns $1,116,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points along with entries into the Players Championship, PGA Championship and 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Click here to see what Laird has in the bag this week.

 

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Grant Shafranski is the Program Director for the First Tee of Minneapolis and Head Teaching Professional at Hiawatha Golf Club in Minneapolis, MN. He is a Level 2 PGA Apprentice following a successful amateur career where he played collegiately at Division III University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN).

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. cg

    Apr 9, 2013 at 8:18 pm

    please stop the spreading of this false term!!!!
    you do NOT punch a ticket…you BUY a ticket…the conductor punches it so YOU CAN’T USE IT AGAIN…
    one dopey writer or announcer started this term and it spread all over the world…

    I guess they had never BOUGHT A TICKET!!!!!! SHOW UP WITH A PUNCHED TICKET AND YOU DON’T GET IN.

  2. Troy Vayanos

    Apr 8, 2013 at 4:55 pm

    It was great to see Rory play some competitive golf this season. It will do wonders for his confidence heading into the US Masters.

    This tournament once again shows that 3rd round leads can easily be overcome with a great final round. If a player gets hots he’s capable of catching anyone!

  3. Greg DeLaney

    Apr 7, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    Another perfectly written article. Well done Grant

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Players Championship

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On the heels of Scottie Scheffler’s dominant victory at Bay Hill, the PGA Tour heads a little farther north in Florida to TPC Sawgrass this week for The Players Championship. And of course, GolfWRX is on site to get a look at what the players are playing.

We’ve already spotted a new Titleist mini driver this week, and there’s plenty more.

Check out our photos below!

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Photos from the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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GolfWRX is on the ground in Orlando ahead of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

We’re assembling our usual collection of WITB photos, general galleries, and of course, gear inspired by the King himself.

We’ll continue to add to the photos below as more flow in from Florida.

General Albums

WITB Albums

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Photos from the 2024 Cognizant Classic

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Cognizant Classic —FKA the Honda Classic.

The first leg of the PGA Tour’s traditional “Florida swing,” the Cognizant Classic continues to be contested at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, host course of the 1983 Ryder Cup and 1987 PGA Championship. The course is known for its famed “Bear Trap,” a three-hole stretch of holes that take their name from Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus, who redesigned the course in 2002.

The Bear Trap includes No. 15 (a par 3), No. 16 (a par 4), and No. 17 (a par 4). All three holes involve water and have led to several big numbers from Tour players over the years.

Check out an assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums below.

We’ll continue to update the galleries as more photos flow in from Florida!

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