Thriston Lawrence became a two-time winner of the Omega European Masters after recovering from a nightmare start to post a closing 66 and secure a two-shot victory.
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The South African went into the final round with a one-shot lead but made a bogey-bogey-bogey start to surrender his advantage and fall two behind.
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With fellow past champions Matt Wallace and Matt Fitzpatrick now ahead of him, Lawrence had no choice but to force the issue and bravely took on the par-four sixth.
The 28-year-old was rewarded with an eagle there before firing five birdies in his next eight holes to open up a three-shot lead.
Lawrence’s heart will have been in his mouth when his approach at the 15th flew towards the penalty area but he managed to save par.
And he safely parred his way home to finish on 22 under par and clinch his fifth DP World Tour title and a second at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club following his 2022 triumph.
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Wallace finished in a tie for second on 20 under alongside Rasmus Højgaard and Sami Välimäki, while Fitzpatrick was another stroke further back.
Player Quotes
Thriston Lawrence: “Winning is tough. It’s not easy. I was so nervous all day. It always looks so easy but it’s not.
“I’m just so emotional, so happy. It’s been a grind all day.
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“Obviously after that start – I tried to give the guys a chance there! But yeah, I’m just so proud of the way I fought out there.
“Credit to my team and all my sponsors. I’m just so happy.
“Just to have some sort of family here is incredible.
“All my family back home that’s been supporting me through all the years. Just thank you to them. And yeah, it’s nice to have someone here.”
Matt Wallace: “Thriston played great. He didn’t give anything away.
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“Especially after the first three holes, to do that is pretty impressive, to be fair. And he’s such an aggressive player. I think that driver on the sixth is probably the shot of the week and the putt as well really got him going. Full credit to him, he deserves to win this one.”
