Alex Fitzpatrick outperformed his brother, two-time champion Matt, on day one of the Omega European Masters in Crans-sur-Sicières.
Alex opened with a flawless 63, including seven birdies, to move into a tie for the lead with Spain's Alfredo Garcia-Heredia at seven under. England's Matt Wallace was tied for third at six under with four others.
Matt Fitzpatrick, 30, who is five years older and won in 2017 and 2018 and is expected to follow the late Seve Ballesteros as a three-time champion, shot a four-under 66 as early competitors battled in cold and wet conditions.
“It's nice to get off to such a good start. If I woke up this morning and it was pouring rain outside, I would have taken it,” the 2022 U.S. Open champion said.
“It's one of my favorite places to be, but it wasn't this morning. The weather was terrible; warming up in the rain, you go out and it's pouring and you feel like the ball isn't going to go very far.”
Alex Fitzpatrick, who tied for fifth in his Crans-Montana debut last year, said: “I played really well.
“The first five or six holes were pretty strong, I think the gusts were 25 to 30 miles an hour or something like that.
“To be honest, I had a good draw. It was brutal this morning and luckily the wind wasn't too strong the last eight or nine holes, so I was happy to take advantage of my chances and hopefully it'll be the same tomorrow.”
Wallace opened the British Masters with a 76 and followed it up with three straight rounds of 68 to finish eighth at the Belfry, making him one of the favorites to win this week.
“I learned from last week’s tournament and even though I didn’t have a good first round, I’m still confident I can get into the top 10, which means I don’t have to play my best every day,” Wallace said after shooting a perfect 64.
“You’re going to have some matches where one day you don’t play well. I just hope that on the bad days I can still be competitive because I know the good form I’m in is good enough.
“If I can keep playing like I did today and keep my head clear, then I’ll be in a good spot.”
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