Omega European Masters - day one digest

Alex Fitzpatrick and Alfredo Garcia-Heredia cannot be separated at the top, a local amateur delights Swiss crowd and Ramsay counts his lucky stars.

Everything you need to know from the opening round at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.

Switzerland suits Fitz

Fitzpatrick is a name synonymous with this tournament, with Matt lifting the trophy twice in 2017 and 2018, but it is his younger brother Alex who is in the driving seat in the Swiss Alps. He rolled in seven birdies during a flawless round of 63, which was saved with a brilliant par from 18 feet at the last, to sit at the top of the leaderboard alongside Garcia-Heredia at seven under. He said: "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. I hit it really nicely all day, I was hoping I could scrape through the last hole. 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."

Garcia-Heredia hots up on his front nine

The Spaniard went out in the penultimate group of the day which started on the back nine and it was there where he made his charge. A birdie at the 13th hole was followed by a stunning second shot at the par-five 14th, where he stuck his approach to three feet. He rolled in the eagle putt before adding a gain from five feet at the next to reach four under through six holes. Garcia-Heredia maintained the momentum with a 22 foot birdie at the 17th and he finished his front nine in 29 after picking up another gain at the next. He wrapped up his blemish-free round with birdie at the eighth to join Fitzpatrick at the summit. The 42-year-old said: "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."

Gerhardsen grins with delight

Swiss amateur Nicola Gerhardsen had a first round to remember in Crans Montana as he sat two shots off the lead following an opening 65. The 22-year-old is making his fifth start at his home event, but has never made the cut on his four previous appearances. He rolled in seven birdies and two bogeys to join a group of seven players at five under. "Yeah it was great. I was going into it with the goal of just taking shot by shot," the local favourite said. "It's obviously not a usual week for me with the public and everything watching me, and I think I've done a great job with that by staying in the present and in the moment with my caddie. That was my goal and I was able to do it successfully and came off with a nice round."

Ramsay's lucky bounce

Richie Ramsay won this event in 2012 and he certainly got a former winner's bounce from the WATER when he somehow avoided a penalty drop at the 14th. He only went and birdied the hole to sit two behind the joint first-round leaders at five under. Buy a lottery ticket, Richie!

Ooh la la from Rasmus

Rasmus Højgaard, who lifted the trophy here in 2021, showed his class from the fairway bunker for a tap-in birdie at the seventh. Absolutely world class.