Laird, bidding to make the European Ryder Cup team, moved into contention with an eight-under 64 in benign conditions.
He took further titles at the KLM Open and Dunhill Links Championship and in-between those events played alongside McDowell in the European Ryder Cup team.
One of three wildcard picks by Montgomerie, Donald was the only member of the European Ryder Cup team competing in a field of 30 at East Lake.
It was his second tournament win after the Italian Open last year and has boosted his hopes of claiming a place in this year's European Ryder Cup team.
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The Spaniard probably needs to finish in the top three at the USPGA to have any chance of playing his way on to the European Ryder Cup team.
"It was a perfect round of golf and a great start to a tournament that is very important to me, " said Manassero who was delighted by the successes of the Molinari brothers in making the European Ryder Cup team.
Donald is now up to fourth in the race to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team and has no doubt that his debut in Detroit two years ago helped him win at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, where he now owns a house.
But the Englishman could end Tiger Woods' five-year reign at the top of the rankings this weekend at the Dunhill Championship in Scotland, an event that will feature eight of his European Ryder Cup team-mates as well as captain Colin Montgomerie and the Scot's assistants Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke.
With European captain Jose Maria Olazabal picking his Ryder Cup team Monday, Harrington knows this is the last chance to stake a claim for a wild card pick.
On Sunday NBC commentators were left to speculate how the U.S. team which looked better on paper could collapse in such grand fashion (or how the European team could stage one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history).
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Like many golf fans, I was shocked at how the United States Ryder Cup team let a big lead slip away, allowing the European team to retain the title.
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The team is officially announced on Tuesday and Brewerton and her European team-mates will now travel to Sweden for the ladies version of the Ryder Cup on 13-16 September, where they will take on their American counterparts.
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