Sindelar achieves rare feat
American Joey Sindelar recorded only the third albatross in the history of the United States PGA championship at Medinah in Chicago today.
Among those to survive the halfway cut with nothing to spare on level par, 48-year-old Sindelar resumed with two opening bogeys, but then holed a 241-yard three-wood at the par-five fifth.
It was the first albatross in any major since England’s Gary Evans in the 2004 Open at Royal Troon and the two previous ones in the PGA were by American Darrell Kestner in 1993 at Inverness and Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson 11 years ago at Riviera.
Sindelar had his third bogey of the day on the sixth, but his adventures continued with consecutive birdies, leaving him two under for the championship and six behind joint overnight leaders Luke Donald, Henrik Stenson, Billy Andrade and Tim Herron.
Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, meanwhile, failed to build on his second round 68 over the opening stretch.
McDowell, so disappointed to finish only 61st in the Open last month after being the first round leader, covered the first five holes in one over, bogeying the 414-yard third to stand level par.
Dane Anders Hansen, on the other hand, birdied the first two to improve to three under and Swede Robert Karlsson, close to clinching his Ryder Cup debut, birdied the second and fifth, but then bogeyed the next. He was one under as a result.
