EIGHT PUTTS on one hole is the sort of thing even a beginner would hope never to do, but it happened to Britain’s last winner of a major title yesterday.
Paul Lawrie was two strokes off the lead in the Wales Open at Celtic Manor when he ran up an 11 and subsequently missed the cut.
On a day that ended with German Marcel Siem and Australian Andrew Dodt taking over top spot from England’s Chris Wood, who himself crashed to a 76, the former British Open champion had charged from 63rd place to joint-fourth place when he hit his second shot to the 610-yard second into a greenside bunker.
After splashing out 20 yards past the flag his first putt rolled off into a hollow. He needed three attempts to get back up, then from 20 feet beyond the cup he putted back down the slope and took three more from there.
“Ridiculous,” he said after signing for a 74 and making plans to fly home to Aberdeen.
Asked if the blame lay with him or the pin placing, the 41-year-old, whose last victory came at the resort eight years ago, replied: “Bit of both. I hit the first putt about a foot out. When you do that from 60 feet and you end up where I was then that’s a bit silly.”
There was also a double-bogey seven from world number nine Luke Donald on the 575-yard 18th.
But Donald, winner of last week’s Madrid Masters, also had nine birdies, and with a six-under 65 equalled the course record and improved 10 strokes on his opening effort to be two under at the halfway stage.
That is only four behind Siem and Dodt, who shot 67 and 70 respectively to be one ahead of Dane Thomas Bjorn, whose 68 raised his spirits following six successive missed cuts.
European captain Colin Montgomerie, his day overshadowed by tabloid allegations about his private life that he has confirmed in a statement, is very much in the hunt for a first win in three years at two under.
Montgomerie issued a statement after newspaper claims he had been seeing a former girlfriend again.
Married for the second time two years ago, the 46-year-old Scot said: “I have put my marriage under considerable strain, but we are are working through these problems.
“I am very sorry for the hurt I have caused to the ones I love so much.
“I would ask that my family and I are given the space and privacy to continue trying to resolve the issues. I will be making no further comment.”
The Daily Mirrorclaimed the eight-time European number one, whose 14-year first marriage ended in divorce in 2004, had confessed to wife Gaynor that he had been having "a secret affair with his ex-lover Joanne Baldwin".
