SUDDEN CROWD JOOST LET SLIP MY ALBATROSS
JOOST LUITEN admits the sound of the crowd going crazy was the only clue he’d carded an amazing albatross at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters.
The Dutchman holed his second shot at the par-five 11th yesterday to take a giant step towards the leaderboard summit where he sits on six under.
Luiten, one shot clear of a group of three including Scotland’s Scott Jamieson after a one-under 70, carded the first ever albatross in tournament play on Real Club Valderrama’s 11th hole.
And the 31-year-old’s second albatross of his European Tour career was almost made even more remarkable when he came to within inches of finding the cup for a hole-in-one on the following hole.
Luiten said: “I hit a good drive and had 291 metres to the flag – I was in the semi rough but it was sitting up nicely. The wind was helping a bit and I just hit a good four iron and it pitched a couple of yards on to the green.
“All of a sudden you hear the crowd go crazy. I couldn’t see it from where I was because you couldn’t see the surface of the green but it’s always nice to get an albatross. It’s very special.
“The next hole, a par three, I hit a five iron straight at the pin and it pitched three foot short.
“I couldn’t see if it clipped the pin or not but I rolled in for a birdie and that’s what you want – when you’re hot you want to keep it going.”
Jamieson’s three-under 68, which included three birdies in four holes on the front nine, leaves him tied with Sergio Garcia and Englishman Robert Rock.
The Scot said: “Anything under par around here, most people would sign up for before they tee off – and especially in the tricky conditions with the breeze blowing.” LEWIS HAMILTON was a Rocket Man this week – and tomorrow he can move into a different orbit.
If the Mercedes driver can earn 16 points more than rival Sebastian Vettel around the US Grand Prix circuit in Texas he will become world champion for the fourth time.
It will make him Britain’s greatest Formula One driver, surpassing the mark of three-times champion Sir Jackie Stewart.
And he will join the rarified company of Vettel and Alain Prost, one behind Juan Manuel and three behind seven-times winner Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston before getting down to business and the first practice session yesterday suggested he’ll once again be on a different planet to the rest of the grid.
The 32-year-old insists talk of him winning the title this weekend in Austin is “silly”.
But if he takes the chequered flag for the fifth race out of the last six and Vettel finishes lower than sixth the job will be done.
The arrival at the track of Hamilton’s mother Carmen – her first visit to a race this season – and brother Nicolas suggests they believe there could be a memorable weekend.
There will be another chance