European Masters – second round leaderboard
-14 M Wallace (Eng); -10 A Fitzpatrick (Eng); -9 H Norlander (Swe), J Smith (Eng)
Selected others: -8 A Johnston (Eng); -7 E Pepperell (Eng); -6 C Syme (Sco), R Ramsay (Sco)
England’s Matt Wallace opened up a four-shot lead after the second round of the European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland.
Wallace trailed compatriot and overnight leader Alex Fitzpatrick by one shot after the opening round but his impressive 62 on Friday moved him to 14 under par.
Fitzpatrick dropped to second on 10 under after he followed his first round 63 with a 67, while fellow Englishman Jordan Smith is tied for third with Sweden’s Henrik Norlander one shot behind.
Wallace is the only player to have gone through both rounds without a bogey as he looks to end a six-year wait for victory on the European Tour.
The 34-year-old chipped in birdies on the fourth and fifth holes before making three consecutive birdies from the 14th to open up a healthy lead.
Despite moving into the lead, with a Ryder Cup on the horizon, Wallace says his main focus is on consistency after missing out on selection in 2018 and 2023.
“It’s not just about the win, it’s playing well,” he said.
“Luke [Donald, Ryder Cup captain] wants you to play well and I want to play well so I’m going to try to play well every single day and what comes from it comes from it.
“It is good, competition, but I want to get away from the competition as much as possible.”
