What a day it was at the Omega European Masters, people! Alex Fitzpatrick and Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, showing a bit of late-day magic, dazzled us all by carding sparkling 63s to grab the lead in the pristine playground of the Swiss Alps.
As the sun dipped behind the mountains, these gentlemen proved that timing, just like in a good Swiss watch, is everything.
Fitzpatrick, who must be tired of hearing about his big brother Matt’s exploits here at Crans Montana, decided it was high time to scribble his own name into the family album.
With a round peppered with seven birdies, he’s not just following in his brother’s footsteps; he’s stomping along with his own fancy beat.
Alex Fitzpatrick: I played really nicely. The first five or six holes were fairly brutal, I think it was gusting at 25-30mph or whatever it was.
I got the nice side of the draw to be honest, this morning was brutal and luckily the last eight or nine holes there was not much wind so it was nice to capitalise on the opportunities I had and hopefully the same tomorrow.
We made a change of club from a seven wood to three iron before the round just because of the conditions and I didn’t like drawing the three iron so last hole didn’t suit my eye but happy to hole a really nice putt and move on to tomorrow. After playing well last year, I feel like I know the course fairly well.
I took a really nice two and half week break not too long ago and I felt that really refreshed me for the rest of the year. The past couple of weeks have been nice, just got off to really slow starts so it’s nice to get one up early.
Not far from him, Garcia-Heredia was stringing birdies and an eagle with the finesse of a maestro.
The Spaniard, who’s often been a bridesmaid on tour, showed up in Crans Montana not just to participate but to throw down a gauntlet.
At seven under, side by side with Fitzpatrick, it seems he’s finally ready to change his tune from supporting act to headliner.
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia: I played really solid. You know I got lucky with the draw, no rain, a little bit windy, but I played really solid on the par fives, hitting greens, my irons were good. It was one of those rounds were everything flows.
Especially the first five or six holes, it was windy and cold, normally the ball here flies quite a bit and you have to adjust that, and the pins were kind of tight on some holes, so if you miss on the wrong side no chance, but if you hit greens you are going to have chances.
My putting has really improved since BMW International, my strength in the game is normally playing solid with my driving irons, the weakness has been my putting, but the last few weeks everything was off except the putter, so this week we were working with my coach the last couple weeks and my game looks back on track.
One stroke back, the hunt intensifies with a pack that would make any hunter green with envy.
There’s Matt Wallace, who despite the morning’s damp squib, carved out a neat 64. Then, we have the Swede Henrik Norlander and Australia’s Jason Scrivener, both of whom are no strangers to the sharp end of the stick.
And let’s not overlook Daan Huizing, who almost kept pace but stumbled slightly at his penultimate hole.
Just a whisper behind, the leaderboard is as crowded as a Zurich tram, with talents like Jannik De Bruyn, Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, and local lad Nicola Gerhardsen, who’s showing that playing in your backyard can indeed be quite advantageous.
As the weekend looms, the Omega European Masters is shaping up to be a cracker.
With the leaderboard this stacked, you can bet your last fondue fork that the sparks are going to fly!
