Fitzpatrick makes his move in Sweden

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bruced
June 3, 2016

Matthew Fitzpatrick has opened up a three-shot lead at the Nordea Masters after shooting a stella seven-under-par 65 in Friday's second round.

After a wildly successful rookie year, the Englishman has been more circumspect in his performances in 2016, with his top 10 showing at the Masters the only highlight of his year.

That's not much of a return compared to his win and nine further top tens in 2015, but the 21-year-old has not put himself in with a great chance of a win at Bro Hoff Slott in Stockholm this weekend.

Fitzpatrick was bogey-free on the day, picking up three birdies prior to the turn and four more after.

That took his total to 11 under par, three shots clear of nearest rivals Alexander Björk, Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts, fellow Englishmen Ross Fisher and Andrew Johnston and Scotland's Scott Henry.

"Any time you shoot seven birdies it's always a good day, and when you manage to keep the bogeys off the card at the same time, it's an even better day," he said.

"I hit one or two poor shots but you're always going to do that. I putted really well today, I holed virtually everything so it was just one of those days.

"Any time you go into the weekend high on the leaderboard, you're going to get excited."

Fitzpatrick excelled from tee to green, setting up numerous birdie opportunities throughout his round, and holing more than his fair share of them.

Second-placed Bjork, meanwhile, is the local favourite, and the World No 572 is a surprise name at the top of the leaderboard, playing in only his second European Tour event.

He was one of the last players to reach the clubhouse late in the evening on a long day that was made even longer by a one-hour delay due to thunderstorms late in the day.

French rookie Thomas Linard follows a shot behind the large group in second place, a stroke clear of two-time champion Mikko Ilonen, Florian Fritsch, Jean Hugo and Matt Wallace.

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