Hartlepool Golfer Graeme Storm gets hole-in-one to lead Omega European Masters

The Hartlepool golfer aced the 11th hole at Crans-Sur-Sierre today to earn himself a BMW sports car worth around £100,000.

However, more importantly, it was his six-under-par 64 which has propelled him to the number one spot at the end of the third round on 16 under par.

Storm, looking for a good finish in his bid to keep his European Tour card for 2015, is one shot better off than fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who had a round of 63.

The Poolie had looked set for a share of the overnight lead until Brooks Koepka double bogeyed the last to drop back to 14 under.

Fleetwood played superbly in the Swiss Alps, but the day belonged to Storm.

At the 217-yard 11th, Storm teed up on the left and his six-iron shot pitched just off the green before spinning towards the middle of the cup, situated on the right of the putting surface.

The ball went in the hole to spark jubilant celebrations back on the tee.

Storm had been going well even before the hole-in-one, sinking birdies at the third, sixth, seventh and ninth, with a bogey four at the eighth his only blemish.

A bogey at the 10th looked like interrupting his progress but then came that hole-in-one at the par three 11th.

Three more birdies followed at the 13th, 15th and 17th and while he took a five at the par four 14th, he signed for his second 64 of the event.

Richie Ramsay had started the day as the leader but four bogeys on the front nine cost him as he carded a level-par 70.

New Ryder Cup cap Jamie Donaldsobn had begun in second place but he too is in fifth now after a 69 which included a triple bogey and double bogey.

OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS LEADERBOARD

194 Graeme Storm 64 66 64

195 Tommy Fleetwood 64 68 63

196 Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 65 66

197 David Lipsky (USA) 67 64 66

198 Tyrrell Hatton 67 66 65, Richie Ramsay 62 66 70, Jamie Donaldson 65 64 69

199 Shane Lowry 66 65 68

200 Victor Dubuisson (Fra) 65 67 68, Marco Crespi (Ita) 69 69 62, Gareth Maybin 64 67 69, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 62 70 68