Clarke joins Valderrama victims

Darren Clarke’s name has now been added to the list of victims claimed by one of golf’s most controversial holes.

Clarke ran up a sextuple bogey 11 on Valderrama’s 536-yard 17th today – after standing on the tee five under par for the day and joint leader of the Volvo Masters.

Then came the sort of nightmare which made Tiger Woods glad he never had to play the hole again after three visits to the Spanish course.

The Ulsterman, without a victory since August last year, was in a bunker 80 yards short of the flag in two, but between him and the hole was the pond and the steep bank added to the hole when Seve Ballesteros was asked to redesign it.

Clarke’s third shot spun back in and after being held up twice by a mobile phone ringing he put two more balls in the water.

When his ninth shot – each submerged ball added a penalty stroke – finished on the top level of the green there was still a possibility he might do what Woods did at the 1997 Ryder Cup and putt into the pond.

But the 36-year-old got down in two more and parred the last for a one over 72 and three over total of 145.

He finished the day nine behind favourite Sergio Garcia, who after a shaky start had five back nine birdies for a 69 and leads Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth by one and England’s Ian Poulter by two.

The 11 is a long way off the highest score at one hole on the European tour. Frenchman Philippe Porquier had a 20 in 1978 and only last year Londoner Chris Gane had a 17 at Gleneagles.

Asked for his opinion of the hole Clarke, who refused to blame the phone interruption, replied: “Best kept to myself”.

And when reminded that he was not out of contention yet he said: “I know, but to do that. I was at the top of the leaderboard.”

England’s Miles Tunnicliff could be joining him in sending some hate mail to Ballesteros. So far this week he has had a nine and an eight.

Woods actually won the American Express world championship at the course in 1999. But he had an eight on the hole in the final round and visited the water there two of the three previous days as well.

The following year he was two behind Mike Weir with two to play and on that occasion ran up a double bogey seven.

“Every ball I’ve hit in the water has been a good shot,” he said. “It’s not a very well designed hole.”

Hal Sutton called it “pitiful” and Colin Montgomerie, who had a seven there himself today, said when it was first unveiled that it could turn the Ryder Cup into “a lottery”, adding: “I hate it.”

It cost former Open champion Nick Price a fortune. He was one behind Weir in 2000, took eight and stormed away without comment.

Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, in contention again now at three under after a best-of-the-day 65, led the Volvo Masters by six shots two years ago, then took seven on the hole in his second round and was never in control again. He finished fourth.

Garcia, joint overnight leader with former amateur team-mate Jose Manuel Lara, bogeyed the first and double-bogeyed the third, but came back brilliantly, almost eagling the 17th and then holing from 10 feet at the last.

Forsyth would have been joint leader but for a closing bogey five caused by a hook into the trees.

Prior to that, however, he had five birdies and with rounds of 68 and 69 is enjoying himself much more than last year, when he was nine over after the first eight holes.

“An 11 is easy done,” he said. “The temptation is to try to spin it back, but I just tried to make a five.” He did.

Poulter’s year so far is mostly remembered for his trousers – Union Jack at the Open, Stars and Stripes at the US PGA – and his brilliant finish to the Ryder Cup qualifying race.

But he awards himself only one out of 10. “I haven’t won and I wanted to win two or three times,” he said. “I was fifth on the Order of Merit last year and I’m 22nd now.

“I’ll still say it’s been a disappointing year if I win this.”

He was delighted, though, to be the only player to keep a bogey off his card and at the 17th – after his caddie had been told of Clarke’s horror story – he pitched to a foot for a fourth birdie in seven holes.

Lara crashed to a 79, while Luke Donald dropped from two under to three over with a 76. He is still four ahead of Montgomerie, though, after the Scot added a 74 to his opening 75. It contained two sevens.