Joost Luiten takes a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, after a sparkling round of 70 at Real Club Valderrama.
The Dutchman entered Friday in a share of the lead, and a stunning albatross on the 11th helped him get to six-under and lead the way from local hero Sergio Garcia, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and Englishman Robert Rock.
Luiten has been a picture of consistency this season with just four missed cuts in 22 events, but he also has only one top ten.
He finished second over this layout at last season’s Real Club Valderrama Open de España, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, and will be full of confidence as he goes in search of European Tour title number six.
Ben Evans was at four-under as he battles to keep his playing privileges for next season.
Garcia, Luiten and Rock were tied for the lead at five-under around the turn, but Luiten found the water on the tenth and Garcia holed an eight-footer on the ninth to take the lead on his own.
That would not last for long, as Luiten holed his second with a four iron from 227 yards on the 11th for the second albatross of his European Tour career, and he followed that with a bogey on the par-three 12th.
Garcia bogeyed the same hole to make it a three-shot lead, and when Rock dropped shots on the fourth and fifth, Luiten looked in control.
Rock bounced back with birdies on the sixth and eighth, and when Luiten missed the green on the par-three 15th, the lead was down to one.
Another bogey was to come for Luiten as he got a nasty lie in a bunker on the 17th, but he was soon back in front as Rock dropped a shot on the ninth.
A three-putt from Garcia on the 16th had dropped him back to four-under, but he bounced straight back as he got up to the side of the green in two on the par-five next.
Jamieson bogeyed the second, but birdied the fifth, seventh and eighth to turn in 33, and when he added a 12-footer on the 16th to a gain on the 12th he shared the lead at six-under before going out of bounds and bogeying the 17th.
American Paul Peterson needs a top-five this week to have a chance of keeping his card, and he fired a 72 to sit at two-under alongside Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Dane Anders Hansen, England’s Andrew Johnston, local favourite Pablo Larrazábal and Italian Edoardo Molinari.
Of the two South Africans, Justin Walters added a second round 74 to his opening 71 for a three-over 145, while Zander Lombard sneaked in on the cut after adding a 71 to his opening 75 for 146.
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
