Matt Wallace Dominates European Masters with Stellar Performance

Matt Wallace from England shot an impressive 8-under 62, maintaining a bogey-free record after 36 holes to lead by four strokes at the European Masters. His superior performance included five birdies in the first nine holes and three consecutive ones from No. 14. Wallace is eyeing a spot on Luke Donald's Ryder Cup team.

Matt Wallace of England shot 8-under 62 and was without a bogey after 36 holes, taking a four-stroke lead at the European Masters on Friday.

Ranked 91st, Wallace, who last won a European tour title six years ago, delivered five birdies in six holes—including back-to-back chip-ins at Nos. 4 and 5. He then added three consecutive birdies from No. 14 in his masterclass at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in the Alps.

'It's going to sound crazy,' Wallace remarked, 'but golf is a crazy game. I missed a few chances, I really did.' With an overall 14 under par score, equal to or better than three of the last six winning scores at the event, Wallace is already contemplating his chances to qualify for European captain Luke Donald's Ryder Cup team.

'It's not just about the win, it's playing well,' Wallace added. '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.' In contrast, the Fitzpatrick brothers had mixed performances in the second round.

Alex Fitzpatrick shot 67, closely following an opening 63, putting him as the nearest challenger to Wallace. His older and more well-known brother, Matt Fitzpatrick—a former U.S. Open champion—scored a 3-over 73 and barely made the cut at 1-under par overall.

Jordan Smith (65) and Henrik Norlander (67) were tied for third place at 9-under for the tournament.

(With inputs from agencies.)