Crans-sur-Sierre Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Fitzpatrick in six-way tie at the summit in Swiss mountains

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 06:38:59 +0000

Vaughn Ridley

Hunting a hat-trick of titles, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick got his Omega European Masters 2023 campaign off to a perfect start at Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps on Thursday, posting a bogey-free 63 to take a share of the lead at seven-under alongside countryman Eddie Pepperell, Dane John Axelsen, Spaniard Nacho Elvira, Malaysia’s Gavin Green and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura.

Swede Ludvig Aberg, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and German Yannik Paul were a shot off the lead, with more on the line than just the trophy this week in the final qualifying event for the European Ryder Cup team.

Fitzpatrick needs to finish tied seventh or better to qualify via the World Points List, while Paul will make the team via the European Points List with a win, although he could be heading to Rome with a a tie for third with two others or better.

Axelsen, Elvira, Green and Kawamura all joined Fitzpatrick with blemish-free cards, while Pepperell made a single bogey on a course softened by rain with preferred lies in place.

Fitzpatrick missed the cut on his debut at this event in 2014 but then finished second and seventh in the next two editions before claiming the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

He tied for 69th on his next trip up the mountains but was very much back to his brilliant best as he returned for the first time in four years and first time since he became a Major Champion at the 2022 US Open.

“I played brilliant,” he said. “Only hit two bad shots, one I got away with and one I got up and down, so that’s as good as I’ve played for a while.”

He got off to a stunning start with an approach to tap-in range at the first and then drove the narrow, par-four sixth to set up a two-putt birdie and did similar at the next, leaving his tee-shot at the side of the green and getting down in two for another gain.

His tee-shot forced him to lay-up at the par-five ninth but he still made his birdie before adding another at the next with an approach to four feet.

A two-putt gain at the par-five 14th had him within one of the leading group and he joined it thanks to a tee-shot to five feet at the par-three 16th.

Aberg had set the very early pace as he birdied five of his first six holes and while he would add another in his bogey-free effort, it was Elvira who set the clubhouse target.

The 36-year-old followed a smart approach at the first with long putts at the third and fifth before he drove up to the front of the seventh, left himself 13 feet at the 12th, got up and down at the 14th and holed another lengthy putt on the last.

Green then joined him as he left himself a flick in to the fifth and made a hat-trick of gains from the seventh to turn in 31. He hit a fine tee-shot at the 13th, took advantage of the par-five 15th and holed a 30-footer on the 17th to hit the summit.

Starting on the tenth, Axelsen left himself little work to do with his approach to his opener and then made the most of the 14th and 15th before hitting a smart tee-shot into the 16th. An tee-shot to tap-in range at the seventh had him within one and he completed the par-five set on the ninth.

It looked for a long time that we would have a leading trio but Kawamura was the first to hit the summit of the afternoon starters.

He made the most of the 14th and hit a nice approach into the 18th but really came to life on his second nine, holing a long putt at the third, an eight-footer at the fifth, driving the seventh, putting his tee-shot to tap-in range at the eighth and taking advantage of the ninth.

Pepperell put approaches inside five feet on the tenth and 12th and followed gains at the back-nine’s two par-fives with a tee-shot to inside ten feet on the 16th.

His only bogey of the day came on the first but more stunning iron play left him tap-ins on the fifth and sixth and he birdied the ninth after laying up.

Paul had an eagle on the 15th, five birdies and a bogey in his round, while Jamieson was blemish-free, making four birdies in a row from the 15th.

There was a group of nine players at five under including 59-year-old 2010 champion Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Fitzpatrick’s brother Alex.

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DP World Tour: Canizares and Lawrence scale the heights in Swiss Alps

Matt Smith — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 05:13:29 +0000

By Matt Smith
Spaniard Alejandro Canizares and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence Scaled the heights in the Swiss Alps on Thursday, to share the lead after the first round of the 2022 Omega European Masters.

Veteran Canizares picked up the last of his two DP World Tour wins at the 2014 Trophee Hassan II, but the 39-year-old was back to his best in Crans Montana as he fired nine birdies and a solitary bogey to join Lawrence at the top of the leaderboard on eight-under.

The South African, who opened the 2022 DP World Tour season with victory at the Joburg Open, shot a bogey free 62 around the picturesque Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre, making six birdies before closing his round with a pitch-in eagle.

His countryman Louis de Jager is two shots further back alongside England’s Matt Wallace, Scott Jamieson of Scotland and Spain’s Eduardo de la Riva.

Rasmus Højgaard opened his title defence with a round of 65 to sit among a group of eight players at five under par, while Canadian Aaron Cockerill made a hole-in-one from 170 yards at the third hole in his even par round of 70.

? HOLE-IN-ONE! ?@A_Cockerill wins CHF 30,000 worth of life insurance provided by Vaudoise Insurances.#OEM2022 pic.twitter.com/kvDIa8vfvW

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 25, 2022

“It was a great round, I started off really comfortable,” Canizares said. “My goal today was to focus on the targets, not my swing, since it hasn’t worked lately. I did that well, even though I made a three putt early on. I knew I was hitting the shots that I wanted. Really happy to bounce back from that one.

“I kept going, kept hitting good shots. It felt almost like it was unconscious. That is what I’m working on, to forget about technique and let it go. It’s difficult if you don’t practice it enough. I did that today. Putted great, made two up and downs on the last two. I’m over the moon.”

Lawrence added: “Bogey free, so that’s always a tick in the box. It’s been awesome, the whole season has gone well. It was nice to have a top 10 last week and to open here with a 62 is always a pleasure.

“It’s lovely, how can you not enjoy this scenery? Even if you’re playing badly, you still have something to look at. Amazing golf course, amazing views, I’m having lots of fun.

Just copy and paste tomorrow hopefully.”

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DP World Tour set to hit the heights at Omega European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre

Matt Smith — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 11:45:03 +0000

By Matt Smith
The DP World Tour looks to hit some new heights as it returns to the stunning Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in the Swiss Alps for the 50th time.

Danish star Rasmus Hojgaard will hope to defend the title he won last year some 5,000ft above sea level, at the same venue that has been an ever-present on tour since 1972 — the only omission being during the Covid-19-hit 2020 season.

The Swiss Open, as the tournament was originally known, was first staged in 1923, and this is its This is the 83rd staging. With views up to the Pleine Morte Glacier and across the mountain ranges and valley below the seventh tee, Crans-sur Sierre Golf Club is one of the highest golf courses on any of the top tours and the par 70, 6,824-yard golf course even converts into a ski resort during the winter months.

Some of golf’s finest have got their hands on the Omega European Masters trophy, including three-time winner Seve Ballesteros, and reigning US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who is the only player to defend his title after his success in 2017 and 2018.

Former world No. 1 Luke Donald triumphed in 2004 while former Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal, Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam also have their name etched on the trophy.

Thirsty greens @omegaEUmasters ? #OEM2022 pic.twitter.com/qbkTKTX8nI

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 23, 2022

Last year, Danish twin Hojgaard was the King of the Mountains thanks to a final-round 63 for his third DP World Tour crown at only 20 years old, and is now aiming to follow compatriot Thomas Bjorn as a two-time winner.

Play-offs are something of a regular feature in the Alps with six of the last eight editions of the Omega European Masters decided by extra holes.

Swede Sebastian Söderberg came out on top in a five-man play-off in 2019, holding off Rory McIlroy en route to win his first DP World Tour title. Fitzpatrick won both his European Masters via extra holes, and David Lipsky and Bjorn also prevailed in play-offs.

This time around Rasmus will have to contend with the likes of brother Nicolai — the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah champion — two-time DP World Tour winner this season Ewen Ferguson, his fellow Scot Robert MacIntyre, LIV Golf London runner-up Hennie Du Plessis, and Dubai-based Irish Open champ Adrian Meronk in the strong field.

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If things break right, Matthew Fitzpatrick can join some select European Tour company this week

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 04:59:11 +0000

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Matt Fitzpatrick lines up a putt on the 18th hole during Sunday’s final round at the 2018 Omega European Masters.

By Ryan Herrington
Matthew Fitzpatrick is a loyal Englishman, but he certainly seems to have an affinity for the mountains of Switzerland. Since turning professional in 2014, Fitzpatrick has played in the Omega European Masters on the Crans-sur-Sierre course five times. After a missed cut in his initial appearance, he subsequently has finished seventh, second, first and first. He even had a hand a year ago in permanently memorializing his accomplishments in the tournament.

A special moment for @MattFitz94.#oem2018 pic.twitter.com/0abOO8bvfB

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 7, 2018

Should Fitzpatrick win once more there this week, he will become the first player since the tournament’s inception in 1972 (it was first known as the Swiss Open) to win it three straight years. (Seve Ballesteros won the title there three times, but not consecutively). Fitzpatrick also would accomplish the feat on what’s already a meaningful day in his life; Sunday he celebrates his 25th birthday.

“Going for the hat trick is obviously a nice position to be in,” Fitzpatrick said earlier this week after a second-place finish last week at the Scandinavian Invitation. “I feel comfortable around here. I love the week as a whole. It’s always good fun.”

The three-peat wouldn’t just be rare for the event but rare on the European Tour overall. Since 1990, only four golfers have managed to win a Euro Tour title in back-to-back-to-back years, all with fairly stellar overall resumes. The others were Ian Woosnam (Monte Carlo Open, 1990-’92), Nick Faldo (Irish Open, 1991-’93), Colin Montgomerie (BMW Championship, 1998-2000) and Sergio Garcia (Andalucia Masters, 2016-’18).

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Indeed, three-peats are rare anywhere in pro golf. On the PGA Tour in the last four decades, there have been just four golfers to accomplish it: Tom Watson, Stuart Appleby, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods. (Mind you, he just happened to do it four times).

Fitzpatrick’s triple would be unique in another way. In his two previous wins, he used a different caddie each time. This week he is working with another new looper, having recently teamed Billy Foster.

“He’s very experienced, but there’s a lot more pressure on him than there is on me because I’ve had two different guys on the bag to win here. … He’s probably feeling the pressure,” he said.

To win once more, though, Fitzpatrick is going to have to fend off a slightly tougher field than in year’s past. He’ll be paired early with Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood. Former major winners Danny Willett and Padraig Harrington are competing as is recently crowned FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy, who flew over from East Lake to compete in just his second regular-season European Tour event of 2019.

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Matt Fitzpatrick benefits from Scott Hend’s playoff misfortune, claims fourth European Tour title

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 07:24:33 +0000

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Matthew Fitzpatrick poses with the trophy with his father Russell Fitzpatrick and mother Sue Fitzpatrick after winning the 2017 Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club

By John Huggan
Long one of the biggest-hitters in world golf, Scott Hend has never really been known for his consistency on the golf course. Except in Switzerland that is.

For the second year in succession, the 44-year-old Australian played his way into a playoff for the Omega European Masters. And for the second year in succession, Hend had to be content with the runner-up check.

Last year Sweden’s Alex Noren emerged victorious; 12 months later it was the Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick’s turn to see off Hend’s gallant challenge and claim the €450,000 first prize.

Three holes after the pair had tied on 14-under-par 266 in regulation of the endlessly picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre course, Fitzpatrick’s two-putt par on the 18th was good enough to break the deadlock.

Hend had his chance though. On the second playoff hole, the World No. 98 missed from no more than four feet for what would have been a winning birdie and his third European Tour victory.

As it was, one hole later the 23-year-old Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. Amateur champion who shot a closing 64 on Sunday to get into the playoff, owned a fourth European Tour win. Hend, after bunkering his tee-shot and finding a less than appetizing lie, flew the putting surface with his approach and in the end did well to make bogey.

For the record, another highly promising Englishman, Tyrrell Hatton, tied for third place alongside Fabrizio Zanetti of Paraguay. Defending champion Noren pulled up T-6 on nine under.

“I’m delighted,” said Fitzpatrick, who changed his shot-shape from draw to fade prior to finishing second behind compatriot Danny Willett in Switzerland in 2015.

“It’s one that I’ve always wanted to win. I love playing this golf course, from the first ever year I came as an invite in 2014, it’s one that has really stood out on my schedule and I always want to come back and play. And today I kept my nerve and just played really smart all week. I remember being here in 2015 when Dan won, and his parents were there to see him win so it’s nice to have mine here too. It’s the third win they’ve seen me achieve, so it’s pretty special.”

Perhaps just as important for Fitzpatrick—a member of Europe’s losing side at Hazeltine National in 2016—first-prize brings with it a large pile of Ryder Cup points. Two weeks into the qualifying period for France in 2018, Fitzpatrick is already top of the rankings and off to a flying start in his quest to tee-up at Le Golf National outside Paris next September.

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