Lawrence crowned King of the Mountains again

Stimpmeter · August 31, 2025, 7:00pm

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.

The South African began the final round with a one-shot lead but stumbled with a bogey-bogey-bogey start to surrender his advantage and fall two behind.

With fellow past champions Matt Wallace and Matt Fitzpatrick now ahead, Lawrence had no choice but to force the issue and bravely took on the par-four 6th.

He was rewarded with an eagle there before firing five birdies in his next eight holes to open up a three-shot cushion.

Lawrence’s heart was in his mouth when his approach at the 15th flew towards the penalty area, but he escaped with a par before safely parring his way home to finish on 22 under par.

The result sealed his fifth DP World Tour title and a second at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club following his 2022 triumph.

Wallace finished in a tie for second on 20 under alongside Rasmus Højgaard and Sami Välimäki, while Fitzpatrick was another stroke back.

A dramatic final day began with Lawrence two shots clear at the top, but his advantage was cut to a single stroke when the weather-delayed third round concluded on Sunday morning.

That cushion vanished entirely as Lawrence bogeyed each of the opening three holes of his final round to slip two off the pace.

But he responded in style, driving the green at the par-four 6th before holing an eagle putt from just under 20 feet to get within one of the lead. Close-range birdies at the 7th and 9th then pulled him to within one of Wallace at the turn.

Lawrence kept pressing, joining the lead with a five-foot birdie at the 10th before a superb approach into the 12th set up a four-foot birdie to regain the outright lead on 21 under.

At the par-four 14th, Lawrence rolled in another five-foot birdie to move to 22 under, while Wallace found the water and dropped to 19 under – a two-shot swing that handed Lawrence a three-stroke cushion.

There was late drama at the par-five 15th as Lawrence’s second shot flirted with the penalty area, but he scrambled a valuable par to keep a two-shot advantage.

From there, he closed out with composure for a memorable victory.

“Winning is tough. It’s not easy. I was so nervous all day. It always looks so easy but it’s not,” Lawrence said.

“I’m just so emotional, so happy. It’s been a grind all day. 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. To have my partner here in Switzerland was incredible, and to all my family back home who have supported me all these years – thank you.”

Wallace was full of praise for the champion.

“Thriston played great. He didn’t give anything away. Especially after the first three holes – to do that is pretty impressive, to be fair.

“He’s such an aggressive player. That driver on the 6th is probably the shot of the week, and the putt really got him going. Full credit to him – he deserves to win this one.”

– Article from DP World Tour website

Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Article Link: Lawrence crowned King of the Mountains again