CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Matt Wallace of England shot 8-under 62 and was without a bogey after 36 holes in taking a four-stroke lead at the European Masters on Friday.
The 91st-ranked Wallace, who won the last of his four European tour titles six years ago, made five birdies in six holes — including back-to-back chip-ins at Nos. 4 and 5 — to close his front nine and then three in a row from No. 14 in his clinic at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in the Alps.
“It’s going to sound crazy,” Wallace said, “but golf is a crazy game. I missed a few chances, I really did.”
He was 14 under par overall, which is equal to or better than three of the past six winning scores at the event, and he already seems to be thinking about qualifying for European captain Luke Donald‘s Ryder Cup team for next year’s matches.
“It’s not just about the win, it’s playing well,” Wallace said. “Luke wants you to play well and I want to play well. So I’m just going to try and play well every single day and what comes from it, comes from it.”
The Fitzpatrick brothers, meanwhile, endured contrasting fortunes in the second round.
Alex Fitzpatrick shot 67 to follow up an opening 63 and was the nearest challenger to Wallace, while older brother Matt Fitzpatrick — the 2022 U.S. Open champion and the better-known of the siblings — had a 3-over 73 and made the cut on the number at 1 under par overall.
Jordan Smith (65) and Henrik Norlander (67) were tied for third place on 9 under for the tournament.