Matt Wallace carded the lowest round of the week to take total control and open up a four-shot lead at the Omega European Masters, while Gary Hurley makes the cut in a DP World Tour event for the first time since late 2022.
The Waterford man followed his opening 68 with a level-par 70 to sit in a tie for 46th at the halfway point, but he’ll be a little disappointed not to be closer to the lead having made two early birdies but played his final 11 holes in two-over.
Short missed putts on eight and nine – his 17th and 18th – would prove costly, the former resulting in bogey and the latter in par on the closing par-5, but with a weekend tee time to look forward to before a return home and a berth in the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down, things are looking up for Hurley.
Englishman Wallace endured the worst of the weather conditions on Thursday, but still managed to get through with a blemish-free 64 to sit one adrift of leading duo Alex Fitzpatrick and Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia.
In warmer and more favourable conditions on Friday at Crans Montana, Wallace enjoyed five birdies during a front nine of 30 before adding another hat-trick of gains to reach the halfway point at 14 under par following a brilliant second round of 62.
The 34-year-old is the only player in the field yet to drop a single shot through 36 holes as he targets his first DP World Tour title in six years, with Fitzpatrick proving to be his closest rival at ten under.
“Yeah it was nice. I drove the ball nice to start with and just didn’t think my iron play was good – my shot into two was good but my shot into one wasn’t good and it didn’t settle any nerves I may have had. But the up and down did and that got me into it,” Wallace said.
“It just kind of went my way a little bit in the middle where I missed that wedge shot and chipped it in and missed the next wedge shot and holed that bunker shot, and that was in that area where I needed to step my focus up a little bit which I felt I did.
“I played a little game with Jamie (Lane, caddie) on those three holes of just executing my shot as best I could and that was it. I’m swinging it nice, hitting it good and hopefully carry that on into the weekend.
“It’s going to sound crazy, but golf is a crazy game but I missed a few chances, I really did. The putter didn’t really let me down, but I tried to be aggressive with the wedges, didn’t really pull (it) off and then I was grinding in those areas.
“But that one on 16 was my hole of the day really because playing those par fives pretty good and missing that putt for eagle, but that par-three was really special – it was a great iron shot into the perfect spot and then the perfect putt so a lot of confidence taken from that.
“It’s not just about the win, it’s playing well. Luke (Donald) 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.
“It is a golf competition at the end of the day and I love getting into competition, but I want to get away from the competition as much as possible so playing like that today helps and go again tomorrow.”
Another Englishman was in contention with Jordan Smith recording a second-round 65 to sit alongside Sweden’s Henrik Norlander at nine under.
Andrew Johnston, Garcia-Heredia and German Nicolai von Dellingshausen were one shot further back, while Eddie Pepperell and Australia’s Jason Scrivener are at seven under.
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