Oliver Fisher returned to form in spectacular fashion to claim the clubhouse lead at the BMW International Open.
The former Czech Open winner carded six birdies in a flawless six under par 66 at Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof, finding 17 of 18 putting surfaces in regulation during an impressive display from tee to green.
That put him one clear of Chile’s Felipe Aguilar and South African Zander Lombard, with the 27 year old Fisher’s display all the more impressive coming off the back of 10 missed cuts in 16 starts on The Race to Dubai this year without a top-ten finish.
“I’m very delighted,” Fisher said. “The course is obviously pretty wet from the weather they have had lately here. You've got to hit fairways and hit greens and I've done that today and played well. Anytime you go bogey-free for 18 holes is a good round.
“The guys that hit the fairways and tee-to-green around here generally do pretty well. Today that's what I've done well, and a round of 66, I'm very pleased.
“BMW are a great sponsor of the Tour and this is a great event, and I look forward to it every year, whether it be at Eichenried or here in Cologne. This event is great and also French next week and Scottish after that.
“We're in for a really good run in the summer, and I think there's some good stuff to look forward to through to the end of the year. I think I've been out here long enough now to realise it's year-long and you have your good weeks and as long as you keep putting in the work and trying throughout the season, you'll be all right.”
Aguilar carded six birdies, three bogeys and an eagle on the long 15th, while Lombard briefly joined Fisher with his sixth birdie of the day on the seventh, only to then bogey the short eighth.
Sergio Garcia, fresh from a fifth-place finish at last week’s US Open Championship, carded a one under par 71, while out on the course Dane Joachim B Hansen made five birdies in his first six holes and remained five under through eight holes.
