Scott hits the fan to lead Euro

PHIL GIRVAN AUSTRALIA’S Scott Hend will take a one-shot lead over Sweden’s Alex Noren into the final round of the Omega European Masters – after a bizarre stroke of good luck in Crans-sur-Sierre.

Hend cruised three shots clear of the chasing pack with five birdies in the first 10 holes but saw his lead reduced when playing partner Noren holed from 50 feet for a birdie on the 17th.

The 2009 champion then enjoyed two huge slices of luck on the last when his wayward drive hit a spectator and stayed out of the trees, from where his mis-hit approach bounced over the water short of the green and onto the putting surface.

In contrast, Hend’s drive finished on a cart path to the right of the fairway and he went on to make his only bogey of the day to card a 65 and finish 13 under par.

Hend, 43, said: “We had perfect conditions for scoring today so if you’re not going forward you’re going to be lapped by the rest of the field.”

Noren said: “It was a good day, a little bit tougher playing in the afternoon.

“Hend was playing really well from the start, making birdies.

“I was just trying to hang in there and finish up with some good birdies.”

England’s Richard Bland is three shots off the pace after carding a 69 in his pursuit of a first victory in almost 400 events.

Hamilton added another first to his tally of pole positions yesterday when he blitzed his chasers in qualifying for today’s Italian Grand Prix to equal legends Ayrton Senna and Manuel Fangio on five pole positions.

The superstar, 31, rounded the 3.59-mile Monza track in 1min 21.135secs – at times touching nearly 220mph.

He left his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg gasping in his exhaust fumes – nearly one full second behind in rehearsals for today’s big show. It was his 56th pole position. Now Hammy plans to hit the record books again with a double hat-trick. A win in the 190.58-mile race would be his third in three years – and he aims for an action replay of his crushing victory from pole with the fastest lap of last year in the 53-lap grand prix.

He describes his mind-blowing figures RIO HOPE: Racer David Weir