Marcel Schneider carded an opening three under par 68 at the Swiss Challenge Presented by Swiss Golf as he began his title defence at Golf Sempach this morning.
Schneider’s opening round was covered in great detail for the European Challenge Tour’sStory of the Day and highlights of his round will be available to view later on Thursday evening oneuropeantour.com and our social channels.
The German carded six birdies and a trio of bogeys on a cold morning in Lucerne as he attempts to retain his Swiss Challenge crown which he won in wire-to-wire fashion in 2018.
Starting his day on the ninth tee, Schneider was one over through six holes before a trio of successive birdies on the 17th, 18thand first meant he moved back into the red.
Back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth meant he flirted with the lead as he entered the final few holes, but a third bogey of the day at the seventh ensured he finished on three under par.
Despite dropping three shots and missing a further couple of birdie chances, Schneider was pleased with how he played overall
“I was hitting the ball quite well and I was happy with the way I played,” he said. “I had plenty of chances, which was the plan for today, but unfortunately, I missed a few short ones towards the end of the round and made a silly mistake on the seventh. Overall, it’s a good score to start with.
“We started on the ninth and I think that is the toughest stretch out there, from nine to 13. I was struggling a little bit – and when I say struggling I mean I was not playing for birdie, but more for par. I got my game under control from the 16thand I was fine from then on.”
Blazing sunshine and scorching hot temperatures set the scene for the two practise days in the picturesque Swiss mountains, but the temperature plummeted to single figures early on Thursday morning, which 29-year-old Schneider believes made a difference.
“I think the temperature dropped about 20 degrees from yesterday, it was really chilly,” he said. “I hoped it would heat up as the round went on, but it didn’t. I think it will stay like this all day.
“I feel like three under isn’t bad. A few guys might shoot low in the afternoon but I don’t know if they’ll go too far ahead.”
Visits ourFacebookorTwitterlater on Thursday to view Marcel Schneider’s Story of the Day.
