Matt Wallace sets new course record with blistering 62 in Italy

Matt Wallace was left hoping he had not done his Ryder Cup chances any harm after he lowered the course record at Circolo Golf Torino less than 24 hours after Europe vice captain Edoardo Molinari had set it.

Molinari – who plays a key role for Luke Donald with his statistical insight – is playing this week’s DS Automobiles 83° Open d'Italia at his home club, a course where he believes he has played thousands of times.

It was then somehow fitting that the Italian would card an eight-under effort on day one to lower the course record to 63.

But his record would last less than a day, as Wallace chipped in on the ninth – his final hole – to card a 62 and put himself in pole position to take home the US$40,000 Nexo Course Record Award on Sunday.

The Englishman has spoken emotionally of his desire to represent Europe against the United States and after signing his record-breaking card, he joked he would maybe be better keeping Donald’s trusted lieutenant onside.

“I’m not doing my Ryder Cup many favours am I?” he said. “I should have just two-putted it or something.”

The two-putt was a reference to that spectacular chip-in, an addition to nine other birdies and a single bogey on Friday.

That form was all a far cry from day one when Wallace was frustrated with a 69 as others were going low.

A change of driver and some advice on his starting lines from caddie Jamie Lane changed everything, however, and at 11 under Wallace is right in the mix for DP World Tour title number six.

“I wasn’t happy with yesterday,” he said. “Didn’t hit the ball very well, didn’t swing it great.

“I practised hard all last week and felt like I was in a good position and then came here this week and hit it bad yesterday. I had some shots in there that gave me a bit of confidence to go forward and I went to the range and found something.

“I changed the driver, that was the most important club to change, I had a couple of back-ups so I found something that when I wanted to fade it, it faded, when I wanted to hit one straighter it stayed straight, when I hit it out of the heel, it moved. Yesterday’s club was going left so I had to get rid of that.

"Then Jamie this morning was brilliant. I hit a great nine iron into the first and then I was away.

"Obviously it helps holing a few putts which I did but I hit it just night-and-day compared to yesterday.”

Wallace has played days one and two with Joaquin Niemann, who has been imperious in carding rounds of 64-63.

That left him four shots behind the Chilean after the pair carded a better-ball 58 on Friday, and Wallace believes his playing partner is the man to beat in Turin.

“Yesterday he played great,” he said. “He played as good today as he did yesterday and he didn’t start how he did yesterday.

“He’s a class act. I think if you beat him by one this week you win the tournament.

“He’s like the top so they are the people I want play with all the time and it’s nice to play well with those types of players because that’s what you want to do to compete and win tournaments.”