Golf: Martin Laird shows misfiring Woods how it's done as he closes in on the lead

SCOTLAND'S Martin Laird produced the sort of finish that Tiger Woods would love to have had in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron last night.

Newlywed Laird birdied Firestone Country Club's final three holes to add a 67 to his opening 66 and on seven under par found himself only one behind joint leaders Rickie Fowler, Ryan Moore and Adam Scott.

Laird, winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, had mixed three birdies with three bogeys as he came to the long 16th, but struck an 83-yard pitch to four feet there and closed with putts of seven and 15 feet. Scott's fellow Australian Jason Day made it a four-way tie at the top with an opening 12-foot birdie putt, while Luke Donald was only four back when he picked up shots at the first and short seventh. Lee Westwood was on the same mark after making a curling 15-footer at the fifth, but Rory McIlroy wasted an opening 3 with a bogey 6 at the second, rated the easiest hole on the course. Graeme McDowell made 4 there, but then bogeyed the fourth and fifth to be two over.

Tiger Woods, though, dropped into the pack on one under after following up his encouraging first day 68 with only a 71 in this, his first tournament for 12 weeks. Woods struggled for consistency with a mixture of four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in the hot, humid conditions. Sidelined for three months because of leg injuries, he began the round six shots behind pace-setting Scott and he ended it at one-under 139, seven strokes off the early lead.

Woods, champion at Firestone a record seven times, teed off on the back nine where several of the early starters had gorged themselves on birdies in the first three holes.

His first bogey of the day came as a shock to the spectators. After driving into a fairway bunker at the par-4 14th, he laid up in the fairway with his second shot before hitting a superb approach which spun back within two feet of the hole. Remarkably, he missed the putt as his ball rammed into the back of the cup before lipping out. The fans packed around the green groaned and Woods stepped away in disbelief before returning to his ball to tap in for bogey. He also dropped a shot at the par-3 15th where his tee shot ended up in the left fringe from where he chipped up to seven feet and missed the par putt.

Overall, though, he was swinging smoothly and he immediately recovered with successive birdies. After laying up in two at the par-five 16th, he executed a precise wedge approach which left his ball ten feet from the cup and he calmly rolled in the putt. At the par-4 17th, his approach was even better and his ball bit into the receptive green before settling five feet from the cup.After Woods knocked in the putt to get back to two under overall, the spectators whistled their approval. He came agonisingly close to recording a third consecutive birdie at the par-4 18th but his attempt from eight lipped out as he reached the turn in level-par 35. He failed to maintain that momentum on his homeward nine, though. He bogeyed the fourth after failing to reach the green in two but then knocked in an eight-footer to birdie the par-3 fifth. Worse was to follow when he double-bogeyed the sixth after missing the fairway badly off the tee and three-putting from long range. Once again, though, he responded immediately by rolling in a 21-foot putt to birdie the par-3 seventh. Woods comfortably parred the last two holes to finish at one under overall.

He still had a better day than Open champion Darren Clarke again, however. Clarke was left propping up the 76-man field on 11 over after improving only by three on his initial 77. Round of the morning came from 22-year-old Rickie Fowler, a 64 with an eagle two - he sank his 109-yard pitch to the third - eight birdies and four bogeys, including one at his final hole.

Meanwhile, Woods will play the first two rounds with Ireland's Padraig Harrington and American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love at next week's US PGA Championship in Atlanta.

The trio will tee off at 8.35am local time from the tenth tee next Thursday, Woods' participation coming a week after his return from the knee and Achilles tendon injuries that kept him out of the US Open and The Open. In accordance with tradition, the winners of the first three majors this season are paired. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke and South African Charl Schwartzel will start their bids at 1.45pm.