Martin Laird continued to knock on the door of a fourth PGA Tour win as he finished in the top-five of the Quicken Loans National in Maryland last night.

The 34-year-old had mounted a final day push and was right in the thick of the title race on a bunched leaderboard but his challenge was finally thwarted with a bogey on the 18th as he missed out on joining Kyle Stanley and Charles Howell in the play-off by two shots.

Laird posted a three-under 67 for a five-under 275 but the Glasgow man was left to reflect on what might have been. Three-under at the turn, Laird made an unlikely birdie at the 14th when he splashed out sideways from the bunker and then holed his chip from 40 yards. At that point he was just one off the lead and he had good birdies chances at 15, 16 and 17. A brief, five minute rain delay when Laird was on the 18th didn’t help matters and a closing five on the last scuppered his spirited title bid.