Clarke latest victim of Seve's hell hole.

Darren clarke ran up an sextuple bogey 11 and Sergio Garcia was involved in a rules scare ( both when leading ( on a dramatic second day in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

Clarke became the latest victim of one of golf's most controversial holes, the 536-yard 17th, after standing on the tee five under for the day.

The Ulsterman, without a victory since August last year, was in a bunker 80 yards short of the flag in two.

But between him and the hole was the pond and the steep bank added to the hole when Seve Ballesteros was asked to re-design it.

Clarke's third shot spun back in and after being held up twice by a mobile phone ringing he put two more balls in the water.

When his ninth shot ( each submerged ball added a penalty stroke ( finished on the top level of the green there was still a possibility that he might do what Tiger Woods did at the 1997 Ryder Cup and putt into the pond.

But the 36-year-old got down in two more and parred the last for a one over 72 and three over total of 145.

He finished the day nine behind Garcia, who, before he signed for a 69 that put him one ahead of Scotland's Alastair Forsyth and two in front of England's Ian Poulter, had to explain to chief referee John Paramor what happened at the short third hole.

A scorer had informed Paramor that Garcia's first ball had been found in bounds in the trees, but the Spaniard had hit a second and continued with it.

When Garcia said he had declared the second ball a provisional Paramor thought that could mean disqualification. But Garcia escaped any punishment because nobody told him the first ball had been discovered.

There were around 500 people watching at the time and Paramor described it as "bizarre in the extreme" that Garcia was not told. The 24-year-old commented: "I was surprised to see John and wondered who had done something wrong. It's not nice. The way he put it I thought I might be disqualified, but I told him everything I did and everything I thought.

"I couldn't live with myself if I had done something wrong. That matters more than winning the Volvo Masters, a major or any tournament."

Clarke's 11 is a long way off the highest score at one hole on the European tour. Frenchman Philippe Porquier had a 20 in 1978.

Asked for his opinion of the hole Clarke, who refused to blame the phone interruption, replied: "Best kept to myself".

And when reminded that he was not out of contention yet he said: "I know, but to do that. I was at the top of the leaderboard."

England's Miles Tunnicliff could be joining him in sending some hate mail to Ballesteros. So far this week he has had a nine and an eight at the 17th.

Woods actually won the American Express world championship at the course in 1999. But he had an eight on the hole in the final round and visited the water there two of the three previous days as well.

The following year he was two behind Mike Weir with two to play and on that occasion ran up a double bogey seven.

"Every ball I've hit in the water has been a good shot," he said. "It's not a very well designed hole."

Hal Sutton called it "pitiful" and Colin Montgomerie, who had a seven there yesterday, said when it was first unveiled that it could turn the Ryder Cup into "a lottery", adding: "I hate it."

It cost former Open champion Nick Price a fortune. He was one behind Weir in 2000, took eight and stormed away without comment.

Argentina's Angel Cabrera, in contention again now at three under after a best-of-the-day 65, led by six shots two years ago, then took seven on the hole in his second round and was never in control again.