Mathias Grönberg was able to call on happy memories as he climbed into the top ten on day three of the Omega European Masters.
Almost ten years have passed since the Swede last triumphed on the European Tour and, after opting to play in the USA, he lost his PGA Tour card in 2010.
However, a return to Crans-sur-Sierre, where he triumphed back in 1995, appears to have brought the best out of a player now ranked 853 in the world.
Grönberg carded a five under 65 to reach eight under for the tournament and admits he feels very much at home in the Swiss Alps.
“I’ve got great memories of my win, and it was really nice to have so many friendly faces walking the fairways with me today,” he said.
“It’s not every day you have tough conditions like this (play was suspended for almost two hours due to thick fog), so to battle for a 65 was very pleasing.”
An experienced campaigner, Grönberg coped well with the interruption to his round.
“The delay wasn’t too much of a disruption,” he explained.
“They have a very nice players’ lounge next to the 18th green, so we were quite content to stay warm in there and have a bit of food.
“But it’s always hard to go back out there and start over with your warm-up again. Except for that, it was fine.
“The conditions were OK, because with it being so cold, it cancelled out the altitude, so judging distances and clubs wasn’t too much of a problem.”
