| Brilliant Bäckström bags albatross at Russian Open
Joakim Bäckström became the second player on The European Tour this season to card an albatross after seeing off the 561 yard 15th hole in just two strokes at the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship.
The Swede, who is vying to add to the Aa St Omer Open title he won in 2005, was going strong at two under par when he approached the 15th – he started his first round on the back nine – but then things got much better.
His drive at the par five landed 233 yards from the hole, prompting him to use a four iron to cover the remaining the ground. The resultant shot made its way into the hole, leaving him five under par after six holes and temporarily in the lead at the Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.
His effort followed that of Steven Jeffress, who holed his tee shot on the par four 15th during his second round at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in November.
Bäckström subsequently parred the next two holes, but a bogey five on the 18th followed by a par on the first has allowed Darren Fichardt and Sion E Bebb to share the lead on five under par.
South Africa’s Fichardt started strongly, picking up strokes on the first, second and third holes, before birdies at the fifth and seventh took him to the turn in 31. A bogey at the tenth slowed his momentum, but he gained a stroke at the 15th to tie with Bebb, who has shot birdies on the 12th, 14th, 15th, first and second after starting on the tenth.
A shot further back, Bäckström is tied with Johan Skold of Sweden, England’s Gareth Davies, Gary Houston of Wales and Spain’s José Manuel Lara on four under.
Last year’s runner-up Robert-Jan Derksen is also on four under par.
Elsewhere, John Daly is battling the pain of a hand injury on one over par, while Ireland’s Gary Murphy is one under. |