SCOTS SHARING 26TH PLACE AT BAY HILL COUNTRY CLUB

LAIRD AND KNOX ON 71 - NINE BEHIND

LEADER SCOTT IN "ARNOLD PALMER"

Scots Martin Laird and Russell Knox are bracketed together in 26th place after matching one-under-par 71s in the first round of the Arnold Palmer

Invitational at Bay Hill Country Club, Florida.
Laird, pictured, recovered well from a double bogey 6 at the third - he had birdied the second - to birdie the fourth, sixth, 15th and 16th, dropping two more shots, at the short seventh and 11th.
Knox bogeyed the first but birdied the third, seventh and 12th and needed a par  at the 18th for a 70 - but bogeyed it.
Paul Casey and Jamie Donaldson did best of the Brtits with 67s to be lying joint fifth, five behind leader Aussie Adam Scott who equalled the course record with a 10-under-par 62.
Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell had 68.
Padraig Harrington and Brian Davis had solid 70s to tee off. Justin Rose and another Englishman, US amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, are alongside Knox and Laird on the 71 mark.
David Lynn had a par 72 but Lee Westwood had a poor start with a 75 and, at joint 98th place, he is in danger of failing to beat the second-round cut.

FIRST-ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 70 players from USA unless stated
62 Adam Scott (Australia)
65 Ryo Ishikawa (Japan), John Merrick
66 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain)
67 Brandt Snedeker, Morgan Hoffman, Paul Casey (England), Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Jason Kokrak, Francesco Molinari (Italy)
68 Ryan Moore, Charles Howell, J B Holmes, Brendon Steele, Ian Poulter (England), Graeme McDowell (N Ireland)

SELECTED SCORES
69 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) (T17)
70 Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Brian Davis (England) (T16).
71 Russell Knox (Scotland), Justin Rose (England), Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) (am), Freddie Jacobson (Sweden), Martin Laird (Scotland) (T40)
72 David Lynn (England) (T61)
74 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) (T91)
75 Lee Westwood (England), David Duval (T98)
76 Greg Owen (England) (T106)

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