Martin Laird to fore at Bay Hill

BIDDING for his fourth top-10 finish of the season on the PGA Tour, Martin Laird made a solid start in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando.

Among the early first-round starters, the Scot carded a two-under-par 70 to sit just a shot behind clubhouse leaders Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan.

Laird, who makes his Masters debut at Augusta in a fortnight's time, dropped a shot at the first but recovered well with four birdies, three in four holes on the back nine.

Fowler was disappointed to bogey his final two holes after playing some smart golf on a sun-kissed day in Florida. The 22-year-old, playing the back nine first, eagled the par-5 16th before missing key putts at the end.

"I thought I hit two really good par putts but they just didn't want to go in," he said. "But I felt that today was some of the best I've struck (it) all year."

Phil Mickelson and England's Brian Davis were alongside Laird in the chasing pack, while Tiger Woods, a six-times winner at this event, was among the later groups playing with big-hitting Americans Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland.