Matt Wallace has admitted a switch in his mindset has helped him catapult into contention following a superb 63 in the second round of the D+D Real Czech Masters.
Wallace has not been in the winner's enclosure on the DP World Tour since victory at the 2018 Made In Denmark, but he moved one shot behind clubhouse leader Nicolai Højgaard at the halfway mark in Prague.
The Englishman, who has four DP World Tour victories to his name, won on the PGA Tour in March at the Corales Puntacana Championship - ironically beating the Dane by one stroke - as he searches to find his form once again.
Wallace failed to make the cut on his last start at the 151st Open Championship, but arrived in the Czech Republic thinking he will be in contention come the end of the week and it certainly worked.
Following an opening round of 70, the 33-year-old rattled home an eagle and seven birdies on Friday to card the joint lowest ever round at Albatross Golf Resort with his flawless 63 and sit at 11 under par.
Like first-round leader Sami Välimäki, the scorecard will not make it into the record books due to preferred lies being taken in the second round.
"Confident, even from yesterday’s round. I have this mindset that I’m going to be in contention at some point this week," Wallace said.
"From yesterday, I wasn’t frustrated like I’d normally be. I knew there was chances, knew the greens would be slightly better this morning for us.
"Understood the greens are slower than we’re used to and what I’m used to. I spoke to Shane [Lowry] this morning and he was the same. He had some 20-footers yesterday that he left three or four feet short.
A blemish free second round 63 for @mattsjwallace 💪#CzechMasters pic.twitter.com/ilHP5el3R6
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 25, 2023
"You just have to adapt and adjust to that. Yesterday’s round was like a practice of that, I took that into today and played pretty nice.
"I keep saying to myself that I’m going to be in contention this week and I’m going to take that on going forward. Everything’s okay. Don’t panic, there’s no reason to get frustrated.
"I was seven shots behind going into today after my round yesterday. Before I’d have gone ‘Wow, I’m too far back’, but it’s fine. I’m playing good. That’s what the best players do, and I’m trying to learn from them."
Wallace made an eagle two at the sixth when he drove over the green before holing out with his second from the rough from 15 yards.
Speaking about the feat, he said: "I went over the back. Drove it over the bunker, which was about 315, slight wind out the right and helping.
"I hit it great. I knew the bunker was the place we were trying to get it into. But if I hit it good enough it might have a chance.
"I hit a great shot to the back edge. Not a great lie but I had a chip shot similar on the hole before which I left short in the middle.
"I said to myself ‘give it a go, going past the pin is okay’. It came out perfect and never looked anywhere else."
