– Who would have imagined that Thriston Lawrence (-22) could burst into tears after winning a tournament? Well, that’s exactly what happened. The South African, so stoic and ‘insensitive’ in appearance, has had a tough time this year 2025 on the PGA Tour and this week he redeemed himself by winning the Omega European Masters for the second time. It’s possible that he, like everyone else on this side of the pond, thought the American circuit was tailor-made for him, yet he kept getting knocked down time after time. It’s understandable that he got so emotional after confirming that he is still the same powerful player, capable of almost anything and in almost any event.
Today, after starting the round with three consecutive bogeys (raise your hand if you didn’t count him out of the winning equation at that point), he bounced back with a stunning seven-under-par over nine holes (from 6 to 14 at the Crans Sur Sierre Golf Club), starting the series with an eagle on the 6th hole, a short par 4 where he landed on the green from the tee and holed a five-and-a-half-metre putt.
– The two Englishmen accompanying Lawrence in the final group lacked a bit of clarity and finesse. Matt Wallace (-20) and Matt Fitzpatrick (-19) were playing for more than just the victory in Switzerland, the Ryder, and they might have paid the price. Wallace’s determination, willing to push until the last option, should be appreciated, but it seems even this great second place fell short for him. Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, delivered. His final fifth place should be enough for him to be in the Ryder Cup, his redemption in this competition. And then we might see him crying his eyes out like Lawrence. Either way, he is a fantastic player and probably Europe cannot afford the luxury of leaving him out of a Ryder, even though he hasn’t performed to date. Today, both Englishmen gave too much advantage to the winner on the 14th hole, a par 5, where Fitzpatrick went out of bounds, Wallace hit the water, and both signed a bogey.
– We must also take our hats off to Marco Penge (-15), who finished in a commendable eighth place after carding a Sunday round of 66. He needed a bit more, agreed, but he showed up all week. He will have to wait until 2027, in Ireland, and who knows if by then he will be able to arrive as an established PGA Tour player, because the American circuit card is already his, so to speak.
– And something similar could be said about Ángel Ayora (-15), although the young Andalusian was not playing for a spot in Bethpage, making everything a bit easier. Ayora is very close to facing victory. Just a few little details here and there. We will surely see him in such a situation this high-flying autumn.
