-Idyllic late August afternoon at the Crans Sur Sierre Golf Club for the third round of the Omega European Masters, which, as expected, could not be completed, although the last matches have covered more than two-thirds of the round and tomorrow the tournament can be finished without major issues. Cool but pleasant weather, no wind… It was the perfect setting for a few players to tear up the course, and that’s exactly what happened.
–Thriston Lawrence (-17) was one of them, and with a six-under-par over thirteen holes, he has positioned himself at the top of the leaderboard. The South African played very well, seeking redemption after a very poor campaign on the PGA Tour. Moreover, he holed three long putts from distances ranging from nine to fourteen metres, the kind that usually not only don’t go in but can even compromise the return putt.
-Thus, with clean strikes on the greens, Lawrence maintained the gap with Matt Fitzpatrick (-15), who, nevertheless, playing outstanding golf, has emerged as a clear contender for victory tomorrow. And what to say about the Ryder Cup. He is earning his place in the team. In this serene and brilliant afternoon of golf in Switzerland, the Englishman has signed a seven-under-par over fourteen holes and could still improve the result tomorrow and confirm himself in the final round’s star match. He is on a roll, very committed, showing his stripes.
–Matt Wallace (-14), who is also dealing with Ryder Cup matters, has, however, stalled somewhat (two-under-par over the thirteen holes he has been able to complete), although the numbers still work out for him, and he has five holes left to finish, with the last two being par fives, holes 14 and 15, to play (same as Lawrence, by the way). So let’s not count Wallace out, who had just gained momentum with birdies on holes 12 and 13 just before the suspension due to lack of light.
-The Finn Sami Valimaki (-15) is not in the Bethpage race nor has he ever seemed to be. One dares to think that he should be the first Finn to play a Ryder Cup, especially when you see him play as he did today: eight-under-par over fifteen holes, desperately seeking the flag on almost every hole. This guy, moreover, doesn’t flinch when he’s at the top. The fact is that Sami scored eight birdies this Saturday, and in seven of them, he was putting from a metre and a half or less. A true Viking assault.
-It also seemed that Ángel Ayora (-9), the best Spaniard on the leaderboard, could join this group of enlightened ones, even despite starting the round with two bogeys. He then reacted with a dazzling six-under-par between holes 5 and 11, once again raising all expectations, but once again he stalled there, reflecting what this year has been like for him. He threatens but doesn’t quite explode. Nonetheless, let’s not underestimate his round of 66 strokes, far from it. The young Andalusian is one of those who managed to finish the round, and although tomorrow he doesn’t seem to have victory within reach, he can still put a great finishing touch to the week.
