After a final round of 1-under-par 69, Thriston Lawrence added his name to the illustrious list of South Africans who have won the European Masters on Sunday. He won the tournament on the first extra hole of the playoff.
Aside from a resurgent Matt Wallace of England who caught up to him on the 16th hole of the final round when Lawrence made bogey, he was never overtaken after his initial 8-under-par 62. After winning the rain-shortened Joburg Open in November of last year, his approach to 18 in the playoff was superior than Wallace’s and was good enough, with two putts, to earn him his second DP World Tour victory.
He joins the likes of Jeff Hawkes, Hugh Baiocchi, Dale Hayes, Harold Henning, and Bobby Locke as winners at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Crans Montana, Switzerland. He is the first South African to win the competition since Ernie Els did it in 2003. He also joins sporting legends like Nick Faldo, Bob Charles, and Seve Ballesteros in donning the renowned red jacket given to the victor.
Lawrence stated, “To be able to accept this triumph is an honor. I’m eager to take home the trophy because of the event’s rich history and all the previous winners.
After 16 holes, Wallace overtook Lawrence, who had started the day with a three-shot advantage. Extra holes were needed to determine the title since both players finished on 18-under par after paring the 17th and 18th holes.
And since Wallace was unable to preserve par on the first playoff hole, Lawrence won on his first trip to Crans Montana with a four.
Lawrence stated, “I was really very comfortable with it. Going back down 18 was simply another opportunity to win again. It’s a challenging golf course. You risk losing a few shots, particularly around 14, 15, and 16, and on par fives, you risk making an idiotic error that allows the opposition to score birdies. Overall however, I’m satisfied with my patience this week and overjoyed to have won this.
In the most recent golf rankings, which will be revealed on Monday, his victory will propel him into the top 100 players in the world. He also moves up to ninth on the DP World Tour standings. He is virtually likely to obtain playing rights on the PGA Tour with just a little portion of the season remaining, which is a greater thing than ever for a South African from Mbombela in these quickly changing golfing times.
All of those accomplishments, in Lawrence’s words, “are a dream come true.” “I always wanted to be one of the top 100 people in the world when I was little, so to accomplish it is extremely emotional.”
Louis de Jager, who finished behind Lawrence in the top 10, had a strong week as well. His final round of 3-under-par 67 left him in a tie for ninth place on 13-under. In a tie for sixteenth place on 11-under following rounds of 68 and 69, respectively, were George Coetzee and Hennie du Plessis. To complete the week on nine-under par and in 29th place, Daniel van Tonder had a final round of level-par 70. Oliver Bekker was at four under par in 62nd place, followed by Darren Fichardt at seven under, and Thomas Aiken at one under in 71st place.