European Tour - Omega Masters

With all that tension and pressure associated to the Ryder Cup selection decision now gone, it's time for some peace and tranquility. And what better place to get such things than the stunning surroundings of Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps! And don't worry if you can't make it to Swizerland this week, you can just click on the link below and then let the picture roll and let yourself dream...

http://www.thevirtualcity.ch/fullscreen.php?param=667,-20,-10

The Omega Masters is one of the longest running tournaments on the ET calendar (this will be the 41st edition) and it was great to hear the other day that Omega have just renewed their commitment to the event for another 5 years (as safe as a Swiss bank account, you may say... ).
Amongst a long gallery of great past winners, Seve Ballesteros is the only one who won the event three times and there's no surprise that he's been chosen to redesign (in 1999) this over 100 year old course. Not necessarily a tough course by today's standards (some very low scores recorded here in the past, including Bjorn's amazing 62 final round last year), but the forecast is not great, at least for the first couple of days, with quite a bit of rain expected and some light breeze thrown into the mix as well...

The field this year is of average strength for this event (probably 32 owgr pts), but it's interesting to note how the Ryder Cup proximity is having, not unexpectedly, the opposite effect on the Omega Masters compared to the Johnnie Walker Champ the week before...

Spoiler:

The last two years the winners came from the older guard, Jimenez and Bjorn, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see these two European RC VC's up there in contention once again this week. Or will there be another winner from that generation this week? If that's the case, I doubt it'll be Greg Norman though, or even any of the other members of the European Ryder Cup management team (Olly, DC, McGinley) who seem to have moved in its entirety from Gleneagles to Crans-sur-Sierre this week. But what about Monty as a wild bet...?! At the other end of the age spectrum, Matteo also did very well here two years ago and now he's back from his holidays and would be interesting to see in what sort of form he is. He's teeing off in one of the star groups with Thomas Bjorn and Paul Lawrie, just after the group featuring the newest ET member and allegedly one of the most in form players around, Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden (and let's not forget, a winner last week here in Switzerland), who'll be playing together with Gonzo and Ross Fisher...

Great write up pd,
I think these events, last week's, this one and the next two, Valderama and Portugal also are the heart and soul of the European Tour.
Top (if not the very top) players, very cosmopolitan, a decent course in a spectacular setting and hopefully competitive events and decent galleries.
Vive le difference!

In my view, these tournaments are the essence of the European Tour - there are two or three runs of decent events without going further afield than the Middle East, and to me this is what O'Grady should be concentrating on, solidifying these backbone tournaments and building within Europe rather than satellite efforts in South Africa and Asia.

Assist the Asians in building big Asian Tour events by all means, but most enterprises that try to be all things to all people/markets tend to fail by being excellent at none. No different in golf.


Some very attractive groups to follow in Switzerland without worrying about what's happening in the Boston heat.

Cheers kwini, I totally agree with you about these events, it's what made and hopefully will continue to make European golf different. Not sure what O'Grady's plan is for the European Tour (if he has one), but at the moment it's begining to look more and more like a mini World Tour (without Americas)... The only way I see Europe preserving its strength and influence is if it continues to produce top golfers in future and that could be hard if most of the top golf will be played on other continents.

Just came across this article this morning about McIlroy's schedule for the rest of the year. Pretty shocking read from the point of view of European golf... Only plays three events in Europe (zero on continental Europe!) within two months (May-July) and nothing else for the rest of the year...

http://www.irishgolfdesk.com/news-files/2012/8/29/mcilroy-to-skip-dunhill-links.html

Rory's golf schedule is quickly following the patterns of that of his new friend Tiger, play only big money official events and then the rest is filled with exhibitionism...

But getting back to Omega Masters, and another sign of how quickly things can change in golf, Tom Lewis was seen only a year ago as one of the brightest prospects of Eropean golf, now obviously struggling big time to keep with the pace. On the other hand, the Indians (and not only them) see Anirban Lahiri as their brightest future star and he is not dissapointing this morning, for sure...

I think I'm right in saying that Rory has never won a professional event in Europe. Given how few opportunities he seems to be giving himself, that is a statistic which may remain unchanged for some time to come.

Indeed, no pro wins in Europe and soon almost no playing in Europe by the looks of things...

was it here that he choked a few years back in a playoff?

hend085 wrote:was it here that he choked a few years back in a playoff?

"choked" is a bit strong..........i think he had a Par at the last to win and hit his second long and made bogey.
Lost the playoff to a birdie i think

John Cregan wrote:

hend085 wrote:was it here that he choked a few years back in a playoff?

"choked" is a bit strong..........i think he had a Par at the last to win and hit his second long and made bogey.
Lost the playoff to a birdie i think

He did miss a putt of about 2 feet to win the thing though. The bloke who beat him, Lucquin, hasn't exactly gone on to greater things

A bit longer that 2 feet i think but he did pull it badly all right, if i remember it right!!

He's recovered well though!!!

He was also about 18 years old and in one of his very first events as a pro.

Choked? Think choking is in the eye of the beholder.

Had never noticed Lahiri until The Open; is he the real thing? Not a good week so far for the big names; wonder if this could be the week Anders Hansen actually produces 72 good holes, instead of this season's habit of 54.
(And where's Soren H? Injured??)

McIlroy was even a bit iffy on the last few holes when he won in Dubai - it just goes to show that very few if any are born knowing how to win, they have to learn it, and to his credit, he learns fast.

I love watching the Omega Master on TV - there is something very serene and gentle about it - the secenery, the relatively small, reserved and quiet crowds, the elevation changes around the course, the (normally) crystal clear atmosphere etc - it's one of those tournaments that seems to have a unique feel to it. The 18th there is also the venue for one of Seve's best shots of all time (as recounted by Billy Foster).

Bob_the_Job wrote: it's one of those tournaments that seems to have a unique feel to it. The 18th there is also the venue for one of Seve's best shots of all time (as recounted by Billy Foster).

You mean this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc6Dnt5LkHM&feature=related

Yep - starts about 1:27

73 for Casey.............at least no doubles or worse today............

Bob_the_Job wrote:Yep - starts about 1:27

That hole epitomises what he was all about, the good and bad all in 400 yards of golf... Gone but never forgotten!

Cheers guys, saw that 1000 times but never get tired of seeing it again... Genius!!

Howler once again is flirting with the top of the leaderboard...

Vive la difference, indeed! Somewhat fitting in a place with such a French name to have a Frenchman on top...

A few players with underperforming seasons in with good rounds today: Bourdy, Ollie Fisher, Rhys Davies, Edfors.

Also, great article here by Jamie Elson's dad, ex Tour player Pip Elson, on caddying for Jamie at Open Qualifying...:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/104407364/How-Not-to-Be-a-Caddy

That IS a great article - Thanks Ned!

Almost as good a location as Breamar golf course

I was just gonna say that it would be good to have Hanson on that growing list of European Ryder Cup-ers winning just before the competition and then he throws a 7 in there, just to annoy me...

Bourdy moving quickly backwards, but Howler and Willett are showing the way right now...

The Mechanic in high gear, firing on all cylinders.
Stay thirsty my friend

kwinigolfer wrote:The Mechanic in high gear, firing on all cylinders.
Stay thirsty my friend

In with a 65 for a Par total along with his friend Big D. ..............borderline for the cut though

Good to see young Tommy Fleetwood going well.
I was beginning to worry about him retaining his card.
That first year is so vital.

Looks like Jiminez & Clarke will make the cut after all...............

More heavy rain last night in the Swiss Alps and we're greeted this morning by the rather unusual warning that organisers had to reset the 6th hole as a 140-yard par 3 as a result. Used to be a short 324-yard par 4, so there will be some confusion with the colors displayed on scorecards at that hole...

Horribilis start by the Italians, but a great one for Alex Noren. His good friend Kristoffer Broberg found it tough though in his first official main tour appearence, same as the Indian A. Lahiri who followed that magic 66 in his first round with a ground-crashing 81 yesterday, missing the cut as well. But they shouldn't be too disheartened by this, as they find themselves surrounded on the leaderboard by illustrious names such as Olesen, Bjorn and Casey...

Peter Hanson has clocked up 17 strokes on his last two visits to the fourth hole.
Catastrophic in stroke play of course.
But: Just two holes lost in the Ryder Cup though.

Howler hits the front
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-
-
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But will he stay there?

And will Lawrie do a "Bjorn", winning Gleneagles and European Masters back to back + Qatar Masters. Not sure if two players have ever won the same tournaments back to back in consecutive seasons, let alone the same three tournaments in consecutive years??

Great tho see Lawrie in good form before th RC!

Well, looks like Richie Ramsay is trying to spoil Lawrie's (and others') plans.
Some of the Scots playing really well the last couple of weeks...

Fine weekend for The Mechanic following his opening 77. 65, 66, 66 and currently up to 8th.

Indeed, another superb week for the Mechanic in Crans-sur-Sierre. I know we say this all the time, but with only a decent round first day, he could've won this again... The man still has it, no doubt!

Ramsay drops one, but then eagles the next one! Only a calamity can prevent him from wining now...

Another decent finish by Lynn, and:
Who's this Michael Campbell fellow making an early bid for next year's Presidents Cup?!!

A couple of years ago we were lucky to see a Scot qualify for the Tour events.
Suddenly they seem to be performing.
No real new stars, just the usual suspects hitting better form.

Doon,
It would be nice if Gallacher would join them, looks maddeningly inconsistent from afar. (Still hoping that in a couple of years we might be able to add Russell Knox to the list of super Scots. He seems to have a very solid all-round game with room to improve in every facet; but one would think a year of experience will help immeasurably.)

Doon the Water wrote:A couple of years ago we were lucky to see a Scot qualify for the Tour events.
Suddenly they seem to be performing.
No real new stars, just the usual suspects hitting better form.

Paul Lawrie is fast becoming my favourite current golfer. No fuss, no nonsense just wins golf tournaments. Just went to put a bet on him for next years US Masters but he wasn't in the betting of my bookie of choice Paddy Power.

Hibbz wrote:

Doon the Water wrote:A couple of years ago we were lucky to see a Scot qualify for the Tour events.
Suddenly they seem to be performing.
No real new stars, just the usual suspects hitting better form.

Paul Lawrie is fast becoming my favourite current golfer. No fuss, no nonsense just wins golf tournaments. Just went to put a bet on him for next years US Masters but he wasn't in the betting of my bookie of choice Paddy Power.

I love watching Chippy, he swears like a trooper and it makes me roar with laughter, more so when Ewen Murray et al try to apologise for him... but aside from his blue vocabulary, he seems a very honest and down to earth pro. Does all sorts of charity work, despite being a die hard Aberdeen fan he even gets involved in Rangers fans chairty nights by buying tables for them to re-auction.