Willett off to steady start as Fitzpatrick meanders
But a rollercoaster three hole stretch for defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick hampered his hopes of early progress at Crans Montana.
Starting his round on the tenth, the Sheffield golfer followed a birdie with an eagle on the 15th but a double bogey on the 16th brought him straight back down to earth.
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Hide AdFitzpatrick '“Â looking to shake off the disappointment of missing out on a place in the European Ryder Cup team -Â produced a steady performance from there on in to finish on one under par.
That sees him a shot behind Willett, who produced similar heroics midway through the back nine.
An eagle on 14 was followed by a birdie on 15, cancelling out an early bogey and leaving him on two under for the round.
Germany's Maximillian Kieffer is the overnight leader on six under par with Andy Sullivan, the best of the British contingent, sitting a shot back.
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