Omega European Masters Round 1 Leaderboard: Good start for Fitzpatrick on fog-delayed first day

Matt Fitzpatrick and Danny Willett enjoyed solid starts to the Omega European Masters as the opening day was disrupted several times by heavy fog in Crans Montana.

Play was suspended for much of the morning as the Crans-sur-Sierre layout was shrouded in fog and low cloud, and there were further interruptions when play resumed shortly after 3pm local time.

After another delay of around an hour and a half, the mist finally cleared and allowed the morning wave of players to get back to business with a clear line of sight, although only 24 players managed to complete 18 holes before darkness suspended play for the day.

England's Richard Mansell set the clubhouse target at 5-under par with a six-birdie 65, a score that was later matched by Spaniard Ivan Cantero.

Former Masters champion Willett, who beat Fitzpatrick in a playoff to win at Crans in 2015, will return on Friday morning on 3-under with just one hole to play.

Fitzpatrick, who is expected to be named on Monday as one of Luke Donald's captain's picks for the Ryder Cup, had just birdied the sixth - his 15th - to move alongside Willett on 3-under when the klaxons sounded shortly after sunset.

Fellow Ryder Cup hopefuls Nicolai Hojgaard, Alex Noren, Marco Penge and defending champion Matt Wallace were among 78 players - half of the field - who were not able to get their opening rounds started.

Any further hold-ups in play could force DP World Tour officials to consider reducing the tournament to 54 holes.