MARTIN LAIRD FINISHES THIRD IN NATIONWIDE
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP AND CLINCHES PLACE
ON NEXT YEAR'S US PGA TOUR

Glasgow's Martin Laird and Welshman Richard Johnson - the winner of the final event, the Nationwide Tour championship - both finished in the top 25 for the season and so earned automatic promotion to the US PGA Tour next season.
Laird, with a final round of 66 in the Tour Championship at Barona Creek Golf Club near San Diego, finished joint third behind Johnson on 266 and earned $44,950. The former Scottish youth champion's earnings for the season amounted to $252,679 from 27 events in which he had five top-10 finishes, including one victory.
He was 18th in the money table going into the final tournament and came out of it with a final placing of 13th.
Richard Johnson's second win of the closing weeks of the season earned him $139,500 and made him the leading Nationwide Tour money-winner for 2008 with $445,421. His bonus is that he gets a place in the US PGA Tour championship next year.
Leading totals in the Nationwide Tour championship
264 R Johnson (Wal) 66 64 67 67.
265 M Letzig (US) 70 66 73 66.
266 M Laird (Sco) 65 68 67 77, T Scherrer 66 65 67 68.
267 S Gardiner (US) 71 67 63 66, B Pappas (SAf) 66 66 68 67.
Also:
271 G Christian (Eng) 63 69 69 70.
LEADING QUALIFIERS FOR 2008 US PGA TOUR
1 R Johnson (Wal) $445,421.
2 R Thatcher (US) $415,124.
3 N Flanagan (Aus) $369,951.
4 J Mills (US) $366,244.
Also:
13 M Laird (Sco) $252,679.
(The player in 25th place, the last to qualify for the US PGA Tour, was Jimmy Walker (US) with $196,896).