Matthias Schwab masters cold, wet conditions to lead in Denmark

Michael Schmitt
May 24, 2019

Matthias Schwab will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Made in Denmark after making the best of a bad situation on Friday.

Faced with cold, wet and windy conditions at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, Schwab fired an impressive bogey-free 66 to grab a one-shot advantage over Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares and Frenchman Romain Langasque.

Schwab finished a very respectable 72nd in the Race to Dubai Rankings in his rookie season last year, and has once again looked solid this campaign.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I’m happy about how the day went.

“I’m a little bit happy that it’s over too because, especially early, it was very difficult and not much fun to be out there with rain and wind and very cold but, in the end, it turned out out be a good day for me. It was just one shot at a time.

“I think I usually play pretty okay on courses that are tough, I guess that suits me and I guess I’m a good wind player too. I really just want to do my own thing and see what comes out.”

Unlike Schwab, Canizares and Langasque had the advantage of playing in slightly better conditions in the afternoon, and were able to sign for rounds of 69 and 66 respectively to finish just one shot off the pace.

“We got a little bit luckier than the morning groups,” said Canizares. “It wasn’t raining but it was quite windy and cold. I felt even better than yesterday because I had some great pars, some great up-and-downs. It was a lovely round.”

Scot Robert MacIntyre, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger follow in a tie for fourth, three shots off the lead, while Swede Alexander Björk, Ireland’s Paul Dunne, Frenchman Adrien Saddier and Germany’s Max Schmitt are four back.

European Tour