Jonzon sets early pace
Swede Michael Jonzon, a lowly 187th on the Order of Merit, raced into an early two-stroke lead today at the Omega European Masters – opening event of the 12-month race for places in Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
With the Swiss Alps bathed in sunshine the 33-year-old followed three birdies and a bogey in his first six holes with an eagle two on the 330-yard seventh.
In the rarefied air that hole is easily reachable for the 156-strong field, which includes four members of last year’s Ryder Cup side in Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Donald and Jimenez were other early starters and they both began with three pars, although it was not straightforward for defending champion Donald.
His opening drive down the 407-yard 10th was pushed into the rough – much thicker this year after recent heavy rain – and since nobody in the small crowd saw it finish there was a two-minute search before it was found.
Donald then went over the green with his pitch, but chipped back to two feet.
Jonzon, who since winning the 1997 Portuguese Open has been back to the tour qualifying school four times, led by two from England’s David Carter and Anthony Wall.
The 632-yard ninth saw Jonzon run up a bogey six and that was enough for him to lose the outright lead.
Carter added another birdie at the 18th, his ninth, to turn in 32 and also on three under was tour rookie Oliver Wilson, from Mansfield, after he picked up shots on the first, sixth and seventh.
Playing partner Roger Chapman was on the same mark after a hat-trick of birdies, but followed them with a double bogey five at the 176-yard eighth.
It quickly became a four-way tie at the top again, though – and it was Donald who joined Jonzon, Carter and Wilson when he birdied the back-to-back par fives 14th and 15th and then the 236-yard 18th as well.
Donald, who never scored worse than 67 in winning by five last year, bogeyed the 17th, but came back with a pitch to seven feet at the 405-yard last.
The putt made him three under again, but by then Wilson and Carter had advanced to four under.
Jimenez, runner-up 12 months ago, had some catching up to do after bogeys at the 13th and 15th, but alongside Donald were Jonzon, his compatriot Johan Skold and Norway’s Jan-Are Larsen.
