Matt Wallace returns to the Omega European Masters looking to defend his title after last year’s dramatic play-off win over Alfredo Garcia-Heredia.
Related: Alex Noren secures second British Masters title
The 35-year-old has an excellent record in Crans-Montana, finishing runner-up in 2022 and inside the top 25 in 2023. His victory last year was set up by opening rounds of 64 and 62, helping him to a 14th-place finish on the Race to Dubai – his best season-long result in five years.
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This week he will hope to shake off a couple of frustrating Sundays, though he has made all seven of his DP World Tour cuts this season. It will also be the first occasion the five-time DP World Tour winner has returned to the same golf course the following year to defend a title.
Major Champion Matt Fitzpatrick is hoping a mix of high confidence and low expectations can fuel his bid for a third title in the Swiss Alps this week.
A two-time winner in 2017 and 2018, the Englishman arrives for a ninth appearance in good form as he plays his fifth event worldwide in as many weeks after recording his second top ten in that stretch at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo last week.
Fitzpatrick appeared on track to win the British Masters for a second time – ten years after his first victory as a professional – before a closing 74 saw him finish in a tie for sixth at The Belfry Hotel & Resort. While there was inevitable disappointment, it was “a good week” for the 30-year-old and he is back on the cusp of a return to the world’s top 30.
Meanwhile, Alex Noren was happy to find a missing piece of his golfing puzzle as he claimed victory for the first time in over seven years last week at the British Masters.
His win at the 2018 Open de France was his seventh in four seasons and came just months before he played on the victorious European Ryder Cup team in Paris. One of those triumphs came at the Omega European Masters and Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club was also the scene of his maiden DP World Tour triumph in 2009.
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Last time Noren won in Crans-Montana in 2016, he won the British Masters just six weeks later – this time he is looking to do it the other way around with the events coming back-to-back.
With the Ryder Cup selections on everyone’s mind, players are eager to impress European skipper Luke Donald this week. That will not be a concern for 2021 champion Rasmus Højgaard, who secured the final automatic spot on Team Europe at last week’s British Masters. Wallace, Fitzpatrick and Noren all have extra motivation, as do Englishmen Marco Penge – a two-time winner this season – and Aaron Rai, who will also be looking to stake their claims ahead of Donald’s September 1 decision.
While Europe’s Ryder Cup hopefuls dominate the headlines, the international contingent is equally strong. Wyndham Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open Champion, joins the field alongside PGA TOUR stars Patrick Rodgers and Erik van Rooyen, as well as 11 winners from this season’s Race to Dubai. Former champions Danny Willett and Miguel Ángel Jiménez also return, setting the stage for a spectacular week in the Swiss Alps.
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Mike Lorenzo-Vera will play his final DP World Tour event this week marking his 285th and final start at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club. A popular figure among players, staff, and fans, the 40-year-old quietly announced his retirement in April with the plan to finish his career at one last tournament in the Swiss mountains.
Player Quotes
Matt Wallace: I feel proud. It’s great to be back. The weather this morning was fantastic and it was really nice to be back out there and reminiscing about some of the shots.And it’s going to be kind of like this over the next couple of days. So it’ll be playing completely different to how we’ve played it over the last few years. So it’ll be interesting.
It was the driver for me at the end of last year. I did that interview in Scotland where I was at my lowest moment and then picked up again when the Ryder Cup points started and then I was able to come here and win. It has always been a driving force for me. Hopefully I can make that team at least one time in my career.
It’s been a hard couple of weeks, probably more emotionally than physically [with] wanting to show myself and try to get into the Ryder Cup team when it means so much to you. You give it everything and I just haven’t had it. I won’t give up, there is an extra week. I don’t believe I will be able to get a pick but it is out of my control and my hands so we will leave it up to Luke.
