Category: European Tour

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European Tour

Shane Lowry is waiting for a special call

VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Shane Lowry of Ireland walks off the 18th hole during Day Four of The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 12, 2021 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Q. You have given everything to try and qualify for this Ryder Cup Team automatically and it’s just got away from you. Just give us your reflections on the day?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, look, obviously I’m disappointed with my day today to be honest. You know, it was very gettable out there. There was no wind all day and the golf course was playing very gettable.

Bit of a struggle in the middle of the back nine. You know, I felt like I gave myself a few chances around the turn again and I didn’t really do it around the turn all week. That’s where I fell back. I played the 15th hole at 15 over for the week which is obviously not good enough. I only birdied the 12th hole once.

So just a couple, I was quite close this week. Disappointing to not be in the team automatically but I’m obviously hoping that they will pick me. I don’t normally talk myself up but I think I’ve played the golf good enough and I think I deserve to be on that Cup but that’s up to them.

Q. You’ve shown good form this year, you have a proven track record, you’ve proved you can handle the ultimate pressure. How strong a case do you think you’ve put forward for a pick?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I think I’ve put forward as strong a case as you can put forward to be honest. Like I said, it’s up to the lads. Obviously spoke to G-Mac there at four o’clock to sit and talk with for the afternoon. Just have to go out and see and hope for a nice phone call whenever it is.

Q. 1-under for the day. How do you reflect on that out there today, given all that was at stake?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it wasn’t really good enough today. Was golf course is pretty easy today. I just had a bad two holes on the back nine and that kind you.

To be honest I felt like I was more in the tournament than I was. The scoreboards were broken out there. I think I didn’t get to see a scoreboard until 14 and I’m a scoreboard watcher, and I didn’t even know how I stood. That was disappointing. I’m not sure it would have changed anything or how I played because I’m quite an aggressive player anyway.

Yeah, then bad 3-putt on 14 and bad tee shot on 15. Small margins in this game. I played nicely again today and I played nicely every day, so yeah, it is what it is.

Q. You’ve played some really good golf this week. A little back drop of The Ryder Cup, at the moment it’s not an automatic pick as things stand. What do you feel in your heart of heart as you look at The Ryder Cup and the big decisions P�draig has to make tonight?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, Rosey has shown a good round today. But look, I feel like I’ve done enough but it’s up to him. It’s up to them. You know, I feel like my golf has been as consistent as anybody on the European Team over the last number of months, so I feel like I can bring a lot to The Ryder Cup and I feel like I bring a lot to the European Team, and there will definitely be good craic in the team room and hopefully I can go and play good golf if I get picked. Obviously have to wait for a nice phone call this evening and — hopefully it’s a nice phone call.

Interview Transcript from Asap Sports

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European Tour

Justin Rose: “From my point of view, you can only blame yourself if you don’t get picked”

VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Justin Rose of England walks down the 18th hole during Day Four of The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 12, 2021 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Q. Came in this week wanting to make noise, 65 to close, what do you make of that?

JUSTIN ROSE: It was a fun Sunday. Really had the opportunity to go low today. I forced myself to go low today. I played match play against the golf course, good to get into the spirit of match play. I set a target and actually achieved my target today. Look back at, it left a few out there.

Not as good as it could have been and obviously trying to win a tournament, I needed everything to kind of go my way today from mid-range. A few slipped buy, missed one on 14, check.

Q. P�draig wanted to find guys with the form and you don’t have anymore form than 18. Talk us through?

JUSTIN ROSE: Thomas just gave me a great look and I had a lot of club in my hand. Forced myself to kind of go ahead and hit a positive, smooth draw. A smooth draw is not an easy shot, you want a hard draw sometimes, and it just came out perfectly. I heard how close Thomas’s was. I’ve never had an albatross either. Amazing couple shots there and great to make the most of the crowd at 18.

Q. Do you feel like you’ve done enough for a pick?

JUSTIN ROSE: I would say I’ve given it a shot. If it doesn’t go my way, I’ll say good luck to the boys and cheer them on anyway. I actually don’t know the permutation, I really don’t. I don’t know who I’m up against. Difficult to make a call. But I have a very good record and I have achieved some things in the game that stand me in good stead. I think from that point of view, I’ve given myself a great chance.

Q. 65 to close, you came in need to go make some noise for P�draig Harrington, and appears to have happened. How pleased are you with what you have done?

JUSTIN ROSE: Great to make some literal noise at 18 in the amphitheater. Fun way to finish. I’ve enjoyed the crowds this week. Made a little noise today. Set myself a pretty positive target. I played match play against the course today in case I might need it in a couple of weeks and I managed to achieve the goal I wanted to but if I look back at the round there were some opportunities that slid past. Putter was average I think at best but fortunately I didn’t need it too much today. Obviously the iron play was pretty good and got a lot out of the round from that point of view.

Q. One of the reasons he set up the double points this week is he wants to find guys with form. What have you found this week that’s encouraging you with how you’re playing right now?

JUSTIN ROSE: If I look back at Greensboro, I had a great chance to win there, as well. That’s kind of what you want, or that’s what I want, anyway. I want that consistency coming back and I feel like I’m beginning to play what feels like my natural game in a sense. I’ve gone back to what’s easy for me and been working hard on my short putt. I saw that today. I made some great up-and-downs on the back nine there. So some of the work I’ve been putting in has been coming to fruition and sometimes you have to be patient with that. For me it’s nice to get back on the leaderboard. It’s nice to feel that little bit of flutter in the heart on Sunday and yeah, it’s obviously, listen, whatever happens in the next hour now, I’ve given it a decent run for sure.

Q. We know what you’ve done as an individual and for Team Europe. Do you feel you’ve done enough to warrant a pick?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think it will be hard for him not to pick me but I had that opportunity with Monty, as well, and went a different way. Obviously Paul Casey was seventh in the world. Who knows what the bigger plan is, and if he has a bigger plan, 100 percent good luck to the boys and I’ll be cheering as the rest of you will.

Justin discusses his round

Q. You must be pleased with the round?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it’s been obviously a great week. It’s been a week where I’ve had to work hard and there’s been a lot riding on the week as well, trying to play well in this tournament and win the tournament. Ryder Cup is coming down and it’s all coming to a head. Yesterday’s round, a little disappointing. Still felt like I had an opportunity to win. I set myself a very positive target of trying to play match play against the course, started six down and I tried to beat the golf course today. With that hot finish, I managed to win 1-up in my head.

I didn’t know what the leaders were going to do today but I felt that might give me an outside chance and I played well enough to be two or three better than that today. The putter just let me down on occasion but very happy with how I played and more importantly how I went about it today.

Q. What was the motivation? Obviously you want to win the tournament and get that feeling of being in the winner’s circle again but with the additional side of The Ryder Cup, what gave you motivation?

JUSTIN ROSE: I wanted to test myself under pressure and wanted to stand up with the toughest shots and have that mindset of trying to play the right golf shot, be 100 percent focused out there and not distracted by the outcomes and what ifs. I was pleased how I played the last two holes because they were birdie opportunities. I was probably, for me, how I stepped up and committed to those last couple of tee shots is what I’m most proud of in the day. There’s enough riding on it where I had the butterflies and I could feel it. You know, when you haven’t been playing that well, you don’t get many opportunities to test yourself under a little bit of pressure, so it was good today.

Q. I believe P�draig has been unusually quiet this week when it comes to discussing what he might do this evening. In your heart of hearts, given what you’ve done this week and today and if it’s not an automatic selection, what do you feel your Ryder Cup looks like?

JUSTIN ROSE: Two or three weeks ago it looked fairly straightforward and Bernd played great and forced his way on the team and there’s a scenario with Shane and Westy and that probably changes that dynamic, too. He’s probably at the 11th hour, a lot to think about.

From my point of view, you can only blame yourself if you don’t get in and don’t get picked, because obviously I’ve never had a pick for The Ryder Cup. I’ve always played my way on to the team which is what the goal always is to do. If you leave it into someone else’s hands, you know, we’ll see, but if I don’t get picked, good luck to the lads.

Interview Transcript from Asap Sports

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European Tour

Viktor Hovland: “It’s a beautiful place and the weather so far is unbelievable”

VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 08: Viktor Hovland of Norway talks to the media during Previews ahead of The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 08, 2021 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)

Virginia Water, Surrey, England

Wentworth Golf Club

BRIONY CARLYON: We welcome Viktor Hovland, thank you for joining us. You’ve only been here once before, and just your thoughts at being back at Wentworth and what you’re looking forward to this week.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I can’t believe it’s already been two years since I was last year. It’s a beautiful place and the weather so far is unbelievable. Look forward to having a great championship.

BRIONY CARLYON: Just a word, as well, about your form and where you are at the moment. It’s obviously been a busy year for you but a lot of success both in America and coming back over to Europe where possible. How is the game at?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it’s been a lot of traveling the last two or three months. Definitely feeling it just moving around all the different time zones, but I’ve been loving it, every second of it and I feel like my game is trending in the right direction.

Had a great week last week, and yeah, put a different set of irons in the bag which I played earlier in the year, and I had a great week with the irons. I feel like I’m still hitting the irons pretty good. If I can just hit the ball in the fairway I’m going to give myself a lot of chances to make birdie.

Q. Most of your good performances have been in America, some great performances, but you made a point to come over to Europe wherever you can, Dubai and here a couple of times. How important has that been in terms of The Ryder Cup and bonding with the other players just to get to know people?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, obviously it’s a whole different world in the States when you play there every single week. So this feels more like home, what I’ve grown up with, and it’s nice to see some of the players that I’ve been watching on TV for so long that are still here, and I get to talk to them, get to play with them, so that’s great.

I just really enjoy travelling. So for me, it’s just kind of the best of both worlds. I get to play in the United States where I live and then at the same time I get to travel to Dubai, England, Germany, all over the place. So it’s been a cool experience.

Q. Among the Europeans, who have you got particularly friendly with, maybe the players that are going to be playing many Wisconsin, who is your pal, for instance?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: I wouldn’t say I have a best friend on the team but definitely played some with Rory and Shane’s been over in the States a lot the last few months, and see Lee Westwood a lot. Poults I played some practise rounds with. They are all really good guys, and I think we’re going to have a blast in a couple weeks’ time.

Q. Can I ask you about becoming the first Norwegian to play The Ryder Cup and what that means to you? On a list of top Norwegian sports stars, where do you think you would be on that list?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Obviously Ryder Cup is a big thing, and Norway doesn’t have a very long-standing tradition in the event. So for me personally, it’s going to be a huge honor to wave the Norwegian flag alongside the European flag. So it’s going to be a cool experience. I talked to Robert Karlsson actually last night and we were talking about basically the same thing, and how many Swedes have played in The Ryder Cup and he’s lifting names I haven’t even heard of, which is pretty impressive. So it’s about time that us Norwegians kind of try to keep up.

Yeah, it’s a dream come true and it’s going to be really, really cool.

Q. Current sports stars?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: To be honest I don’t keep track too much. If someone does something great it pops up on my social media and I try to read a couple articles here and there, but I spend really long days on the golf course and I’m just tired at the end of the day and I just scroll through YouTube or watch some shows. I don’t really keep track too much. But I wouldn’t be obnoxious enough to put myself at the top. I know there’s plenty of other talented superstars in Norway that are killing it, so it’s cool to watch.

Q. How much does it mean to you to play in front of big crowds? I know you didn’t play last year when they in front of no one. What are your feelings about the crowd?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah in, amateur golf which wasn’t a very long time ago, I basically only played in front of a couple families here and there and then it’s just in front of your playing competitors, so I’m very used to that.

Kind of when COVID hit, when we started back up again in the States, I mean, I can’t remember how many weeks we played but it was, I mean, almost a year basically where you’re just playing in front of nobody, which to me, is what I’m used to. You know I’m used to going out, practising by myself, playing tournaments by myself essentially.

So for me it was pretty relaxing, really. I had so much extra energy and time to do other things after the round. But I did notice when I made the winning putt at Mayakoba to win the tournament, there was a decent crowd on the last hole because everyone is gathered up on 18, but I was thinking about, man, it would be really cool if there were thousands of people around that 18th hole, and especially the last couple weeks and we got to see at the British Open earlier in the summer, that was amazing. Just make one putt on the 13th hole on a Thursday, and you’re middle of the pack and people still go nuts. That’s a pretty cool feeling.

Transcript from Asap Sports

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European Tour Top Tours

Portugal Masters added to 2021 European Tour schedule

View of the venue of the 2021 Portugal Maters, Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, in Portugal.

Press Release

The European Tour today added the Portugal Masters to its 2021 schedule, with the rearranged tournament now set to take place at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura, from November 4-7.

It will be the 15th consecutive edition of the event which became part of the European Tour in 2007. The €1.5million event was originally due to take place at the end of April but was postponed due to travel difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has now been rescheduled for November 4-7, replacing the Volvo China Open which, due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, will be played as a national event only this year and will not be sanctioned by the European Tour.

South African George Coetzee claimed the title when the Portugal Masters was last played in September 2020, finishing two shots clear of Englishman Laurie Canter to secure his fifth European Tour title.
He joined a list of champions that includes Lee Westwood (2009), Shane Lowry (2012) and Pádraig Harrington (2016).

Press statements from the Executive board of The European Tour Communications and Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “We are delighted to confirm the rescheduled Portugal Masters as we continue to reshape the end of our season following yesterday’s announcement of the Mallorca Golf Open.

“Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course has been a popular venue with our players, and it has produced plenty of drama, so we are very pleased to be able to return for the 15th year in a row. We are grateful to the venue for accommodating us at a busy time of the year and to Turismo de Portugal for their long-term support of this tournament.

“Naturally, it is disappointing we are unable to sanction the Volvo China Open again this year, but we have long-standing relationships with Volvo and the China Golf Association, and we look forward to that event returning to our schedule in 2022.”

Stefano Saviotti, Chairman of Dom Pedro Hotels & Golf Collection “The Portugal Masters is an incredibly important showcase of golf in The Algarve and we are delighted to once again welcome some of the world’s finest golfers to the Dom Pedro Victoria Course.

“After a difficult period, the European Tour’s return to our facilities enables us to demonstrate why Vilamoura and Dom Pedro Hotels & Golf Collection has a reputation as one of Europe’s most sought after golf destinations. We look forward to hosting such a prestigious event and crowning the 2021 champion.”

Luis Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal, said: “The Portugal Masters is of great importance for the tourism sector in Portugal, providing great media exposure of the whole country. It confirms that Portugal continues to be an excellent destination for all golfers, and an international presence in terms of major sporting events. This is a very prestigious competition, and it will be an important moment to showcase the international prestige of our country.”

Dom Pedro Victoria is one of five golf courses within the Dom Pedro Hotels & Golf Collection. For more information visit: www.dompedrogolf.com.

The European Tour Communications Team

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European Tour Top Tours

Tour returns to Mallorca for the first time since 2011. The European Tour added the Mallorca Golf Open added to the 2021 schedule

View of Golf Santa Ponsa, in Mallorca, Spain

Press Release

The European Tour will return to Mallorca for the first time in ten years when Golf Santa Ponsa hosts the Mallorca Golf Open from October 21-24, 2021.

With a prize fund of €1million, the Mallorca Golf Open will be played in the week vacated by the cancellation of the Trophée Hassan II, creating a three-tournament Iberian Swing with the ACCIONA Open de Espana (October 7-10) and Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters (October 14-17).

The tournament will be played on the par 72 Golf Santa Ponsa I, designed by Folco Nardi in 1977, which has hosted European Tour events on six previous occasions.

Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros claimed the Open de Baleares title on the first of those in 1988, winning again in 1992, with Sweden’s Ove Sellberg (1989), South African Gavan Levenson (1991) and Englishman Jim Payne (1993) also victorious, while New Zealand’s Greg Turner triumphed at the venue’s other 18-hole course, Santa Ponsa II. Another Spanish great, Miguel Angel Jiménez, won the Turespana Masters Open Baleares at Santa Ponsa I in 1998.

Short but intense histoy of Mallorca hosting major events in the past decades.
The Balearic Island of Mallorca also hosted a further seven tournaments at Pula Golf Club between 2003 and 2011, with Major Champions Sergio Garcia and José María Olazábal among those to win the Mallorca Classic (in 2004 and 2005 respectively). Darren Clarke then triumphed in the Iberdrola Open on the European Tour’s most recent visit to the Mallorca in 2011, just two months before the Northern Irishman lifted the Claret Jug at Royal St Georges.

Keith Pelley, the European Tour’s Chief Executive expresses what this means after major pandemic restrictions.
“We are delighted to add the Mallorca Golf Open to our 2021 schedule as part of a three-week swing in Spain this October.”

“Despite the ongoing international travel challenges caused by the global pandemic, we are fully committed to providing a full schedule of playing opportunities for our members, replacing any events which have been cancelled and minimising travel for them where possible.

“Today’s announcement is another example of that, and we are grateful to Golf Santa Ponsa, promoter eMotion and the Oficina de Turismo de Mallorca for their support.”

Rocio Nigorra Cobian, President of Golf Santa Ponsa, said: “At Golf Santa Ponsa we are thrilled to have a European tour event back after so many years. It is now 23 years, since 1998, that the venue held a European event for a seventh time, with winners like Severiano Ballesteros, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Ove Selberg. We feel this is a particularly important time to do our part in bringing this great international event back in Mallorca for everyone to enjoy. We are very happy to welcome all players, volunteers and sports lovers to take part and enjoy with us the great game of golf at its best. We believe this could be another step in the success story for golf in Mallorca.”

Edwin Weindorfer, CEO of the e | motion group, said: “Following the inaugural ATP Mallorca Championships we are very proud that we have succeeded in bringing another premium sporting event to Mallorca.

“The Mallorca Golf Open will be hosted in October in Santa Ponsa/ Calvia and we are confident that this event will become a long-term success on the European Tour schedule.

“This was only possible because of the great partnership with the European Tour, the support of the local authorities, including the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Council of Mallorca and the City of Calvia and the support of the Balearic Golf Federation and the Santa Ponsa Golf. With this tournament, one of the most beautiful golf locations on the island is once again the focus of global sporting interest.”

In addition to hosting the Mallorca Golf Open, the Balearic Island also marks the final destination on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca when T-Golf & Country Club hosts the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A from November 4-7.

Press Release by the European Communicarions Team.

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European Tour Top Tours

European Tour: Field of champions at the Italian Open. Molinari could be the third player to win it more than twice.

Francesco Molinari during the first round of the 2021 Italian Open, smiling at the chance to win it for a third time.

Tournament: DS Automobiles Italian Open
Race to Dubai: Tournament 31 of 39 events
Venue: Marco Simone Golf & Country Club
Prize Fund: €3,000,000

Tournament Preview

Home favourite Francesco Molinari is hoping to recapture his winning form at the DS Automobiles Italian Open when he tees it up at the newly renovated Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

A win this week for the Italian, who returns to the event after missing the 2020 edition due to the coronavirus pandemic, would make him just the third player to win the Italian Open on more than two occasions following his maiden victory in 2006 and his triumph ten years later in 2016.

The 2018 Open Champion entered the history books by winning a maximum five points in Europe’s victory at Le Golf National in the same year as his Major breakthrough, and this week he will play alongside his Ryder Cup partner Tommy Fleetwood, the Englishman with whom he formed an undefeated partnership in Paris three years ago.

Field of champions
Molinari is joined in the field by fellow Major winners Henrik Stenson and Martin Kaymer when Marco Simone – part of the European Tour Destinations network – hosts Italy’s national open for a second time having previously done so in 1994, before becoming the third venue in continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup in 2023.

Ross McGowan returns to Italy with fond memories after winning the 2020 edition at Chervo Golf Club where he prevailed in style to end an 11-year wait for his second European tour title.

The Englishman finished tied fourth at last week’s Omega European Masters and is hoping his recent good run of form continues this week as he attempts to defend his title.

Player Quotes

Francesco Molinari: “I missed it last year, so it’s great to be back. Great to be at the Ryder Cup course. There are many reasons to be excited this week. I’m healthy and looking forward to the week.

“It was a bit up and down to be honest (in Switzerland), a bit of work to be done. Given the injuries I’ve had this year, I think at the moment it’s just about getting a bit more continuity and playing week-in, week-out and figuring out stuff every day I’m out on the course. It was great fun being back in Crans last week, it’s nice to be back in Europe for a few weeks and we’ve got Wentworth next week to look forward to. It’s a great run and hopefully we can play some good golf.

“It’s a great design. It’s probably even better than I thought it would be. Conditions-wise it’s great, I think all the guys are happy with the greens and the fairways. I was here… I was trying to figure it out… 22 or 23 years ago as a kid and the clubhouse is the same but everything else looks very different, they’ve done a really good job with it.”

Tommy Fleetwood: “It’s nice to be back. I haven’t been to this event for a couple of years, so it’s lovely to come back. I think everybody likes the place. I love the food and enjoy playing in front of the Italian crowds. A lot to look forward to really. I’m back on the European Tour after a little bit, I played a bit in the summer and then a month or two out. It’s always nice to come back to places you’ve played for a long time in your career. I’ll just continue to work on my game, continue to try and get better – that’s all you can do.

“My thoughts are just on today. We’re still trying to get better and find the form that I’ve had in the past and that I want going forward. Things to look forward to, for what has been not the greatest of years for me, golf-wise, throughout the summer The Open was back on, playing in the Olympics and the Ryder Cup coming up. It’s been a very exciting summer.

“I know nothing about here. I’ve played both nines, they are quite different. It always feels harder in a practice round, you have to play well, drive the ball well and hit it well and the greens are offering their own problems as well – it’s a strong golf course.

“It’s a long way in the future (2023), when you play one Ryder Cup you don’t want to miss another one. It’s such a special event, such a big event, I’ve loved the friendships and the bonds you make with your teammates during that week and riding a European crowd – France was an unforgettable experience for me, something I’ll always have. I would love more of them in front of home European fans, so I’ll be doing my best.”

Ross McGowan: “It has been almost a year since Chevo Golf Club and I’m looking forward to getting this week under way.

“It was one of those rounds where I kept it together. I hit driver the best I have and got the ball in the hole, which is obviously the main objective, but my putting that week was incredible.

“My coach a few weeks ago picked up a couple of things and in the last three or four tournaments I’ve gradually been playing better, so hopefully I can carry that on this week. It is beautiful. The greens are absolutely amazing and on the whole looks like an interesting course.”

Henrik Stenson: “The last couple of weeks it’s been a lot of fighting and good short game. I haven’t quite been where I want to be with the long game but mentally I’ve been very keen to produce results. That’s the main thing, when you’re determined to make something happen, at times you can. That’s what we’ll take with us and I’m no different this week after two weeks into the four and I want to keep on making results.

“No question I’m trying to pace myself, at least this afternoon – it was a long pro-am and it’s hot. So lunch, maybe an hour’s practice and some rest to get away from the sun. Definitely by the end of a four-week stretch you’ll feel it a little bit. Energy conservation is key at this point also.

“It’s a lot hillier than I thought. In Switzerland we know there’s a lot of up and down and elevation – on the back nine here you feel most of the holes you’re playing ten to 15 yards uphill or the same going downhill. Quite a lot of semi-blind shots into the breeze and the greens are quite undulated in areas. You have to know your game plan, where to hit and where not to be with some of these pin positions. I think it’s going to be a decent test, absolutely.”

Press Release by the European Tour Communications

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European Tour Top Tours

Omega European Masters: Morrison hits new heights in Crans Montana

James Morrison of England plays his tee shot to the 6th hole during Day One of The Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Round One Report

James Morrison climbed to the summit of the Omega European Masters leaderboard with an impressive ten under par round of 60, setting both a new course record and his lowest round on the European Tour.

The Englishman took full advantage of the glorious morning conditions at Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre to open up a three shot lead after round one, and admitted he had the second 59 on Tour in his sights, following his countryman Oliver Fisher’s record round at the 2018 Portugal Masters.

The solidarity bogey
All eyes were on the two-time European Tour winner as he got to seven under par through 15 holes on the par 70 Severiano Ballesteros Course. He duly recorded back to back birdies on the seventh and eighth – his 16th and 17th – but left himself too much to do with an eagle chip on the last, and settled for his ninth birdie of the day, alongside an eagle and a solitary bogey.

Fellow Englishman Marcus Armitage and Robin Sciot-Siegrist of France recorded seven under par rounds of 63, with Armitage finding inspiration for his bogey-free effort upon his return to the site of his engagement four years ago. It was also a memorable day for Sciot-Siegrist, who recorded his best round of the season, with a bogey on the first the only blemish on his card.

His countryman Andy Sullivan and Dean Burmester of South Africa are one shot further back on six under par, with Belgian pair Nicolas Colsaerts and Thomas Detry, Frenchman Julien Guerrier, Renato Paratore and amateur Pietro Bovari of Italy and American Paul Peterson on five under par.

Player Quotes

James Morrison: “We were the first group out at 7.40am and the greens were absolutely perfect this morning, with no wind. You know you’ve got to take advantage, but doing it is another thing. Holed a couple of good putts, chipped in at 11, and it just snowballed from there. Bogied the 18th, my ninth, to be four under par through nine, but it was just a good, solid start. Hit the right shots when I had to and made a few putts.

“It was funny, after I bogied 18 I went to the first – which is probably the hardest hole on the course – and made birdie there, my caddie said “Come on, I think we can shoot 59 here”. I had eight holes to go and you use that as more of a mental push to keep going forward.

“Had a really good look on the last (the chip for eagle) and thought, just try to make this. The minute your focus goes like that, you chip it stiff, make birdie and shoot ten under par. I was trying to hole that shot on the last, but next time maybe.”

Robin Sciot-Siegrist: “I’m feeling good right now. I’ve been working a lot on my game, mostly my putting, and I’ve been putting well the last few weeks. I’ve had a couple of good rounds the last few weeks so that gives me confidence and I’m playing better at the moment.

“It’s a very tricky course, things can go sideways a bit. You just need to get what you can. I had a good stretch on the front nine and on the back nine I just stuck to my strategy. If things go well, you take it. I don’t know if the course fits my game but you really need to be strategic and I like courses like that. You still need to play well. I just like the set up and it’s beautiful out there.”

Marcus Armitage: “I enjoy the feeling of being here again. I’ve only been here once before and that was when I got engaged four years ago. Unfortunately, Lucy isn’t with me, but just great feelings here, and a couple of weeks off (before this week) have paid dividends.

“Sometimes you can look at a score like that (Morrison’s 60) and try to put the foot down. Then if you don’t start off well you can get frustrated with your own game. This is very much a patience golf course, so even if you see someone like James with ten under – which is an amazing score – you’ve just got to be patient, take your time and construct a round.

“I’m patient in a lot of things. Golf is a massive part of my life, I just love golf so much I can get a little bit frustrated with it, but with a few weeks off it’s calmed me down a bit and I can just enjoy it and be patient. Just excited for the next few weeks and the rest of this week.”

Round One Scores

60 J MORRISON (ENG),
63 M ARMITAGE (ENG), R SCIOT-SIEGRIST (FRA),
64 A SULLIVAN (ENG), D BURMESTER (RSA),
65 P BOVARI (AM) (ITA), R PARATORE (ITA), N COLSAERTS (BEL), T DETRY (BEL), J GUERRIER (FRA), P PETERSON (USA),
66 J HARDING (RSA), S SODERBERG (SWE), M LEE (AUS), M SIEM (GER), D VAN TONDER (RSA), J MCLEOD (AUS), D FICHARDT (RSA),
67 B HEBERT (FRA), A BJ?RK (SWE), M KAWAMURA (JPN), J GONNET (FRA), M JORDAN (ENG), S JAMIESON (SCO), R SABBATINI (SVK), B WIESBERGER (AUT), G MIGLIOZZI (ITA), J DONALDSON (WAL), A CHESTERS (ENG), K MOON (KOR), D VAN DRIEL (NED), R KARLBERG (SWE),
68 J CATLIN (USA), J CAMPILLO (ESP), A PAVAN (ITA), M KAYMER (GER), A JOHNSTON (ENG), V PEREZ (FRA), C HILL (SCO), A OTAEGUI (ESP), R MCGOWAN (ENG), R KLEU (AM) (SUI), R H?JGAARD (DEN), S SHARMA (IND), V DUBUISSON (FRA), D HORSEY (ENG), F ZANOTTI (PAR), J JANEWATTANANOND (THA), J VEERMAN (USA), R LESTER (IRL), A SADDIER (FRA), R ROUSSEL (FRA),
69 W ORMSBY (AUS), A ROZNER (FRA), N ELVIRA (ESP), L BJERREGAARD (DEN), A LEVY (FRA), R RAMSAY (SCO), R SANTOS (POR), Y CHANG (KOR), H ELLIS (ENG), B MACPHERSON (AUS), C GUGLER (AM) (SUI), C SORDET (FRA), M ANTCLIFF (AUS), J HANSEN (DEN), J WALTERS (RSA), R BLAND (ENG), M JIM?NEZ (ESP), N BERTASIO (ITA), D GAVINS (ENG), P LARRAZ?BAL (ESP), S HEISELE (GER),
70 G COETZEE (RSA), R MCEVOY (ENG), T PIETERS (BEL), M LORENZO-VERA (FRA), R LANGASQUE (FRA), J CALDWELL (NIR), M KINHULT (SWE), S HEND (AUS), L SLATTERY (ENG), L VAN MEIJEL (NED), H LEON (CHI), G PORTEOUS (ENG), M PAVON (FRA), C PIGEM (ESP), A CA?IZARES (ESP), D DRYSDALE (SCO), S V?LIM?KI (FIN), D WILLETT (ENG), D HOWELL (ENG), J WINTHER (DEN), O WILSON (ENG), A MERONK (POL),
71 M WARREN (SCO), J KRUYSWIJK (RSA), H STENSON (SWE), S CROCKER (USA), W BESSELING (NED), A COCKERILL (CAN), N LEMKE (SWE), S CHAWRASIA (IND), G HAVRET (FRA), T OLESEN (DEN), K SAMOOJA (FIN), M KORHONEN (FIN), E PEPPERELL (ENG), J STALTER (FRA), B DREDGE (WAL),
72 D LAW (SCO), F MOLINARI (ITA), J SURI (USA), G STORM (ENG), W NIENABER (RSA), S KJELDSEN (DEN), S GALLACHER (SCO), R FISHER (ENG), R JACQUELIN (FRA), O FISHER (ENG), F LAPORTA (ITA), S BROWN (ENG), O FARR (WAL),
73 B EASTON (RSA), R DE SOUSA (SUI), S KIM (USA), M SOUTHGATE (ENG), L GAGLI (ITA), B STONE (RSA), A ARNAUS (ESP), T PULKKANEN (FIN), E MOLINARI (ITA), M BALDWIN (ENG), S YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA), R ROCK (ENG), S GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP), C SHARVIN (NIR), D WHITNELL (ENG),
74 M EGGENBERGER (SUI), S HORSFIELD (ENG), Z LOMBARD (RSA), G GREEN (MAS), P FIGUEIREDO (POR), C SYME (SCO), M SCHLIESING (AM) (SUI), J LIMA (POR), J SENIOR (ENG),
75 J LAGERGREN (SWE), G FORREST (SCO),
76 C PAISLEY (ENG), D PERRIER (FRA),
77 H PORTEOUS (RSA), T LEE (KOR),
78 T TREE (ENG), B POKE (DEN),
83 M GILARDI (AM) (SUI),

Categories
European Tour Top Tours

European Tour: Willett amongst Major winners is ready to battle 1500 metres above sea level in the Swiss Alps.

Danny Willet is looking froward to recreating his victory at the 2021 Omega European Master in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Tournament: Omega European Masters
Race to Dubai: Tournament 30 of 39 events
Venue: Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland

Tournament Preview

Danny Willett is hoping to recreate his special 2015 victory when he tees it up in “one of the best stops on Tour” at the Omega European Masters.

The Englishman secured the third of his seven European Tour victories at the picturesque Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre seven years ago, and his subsequent victories include the 2016 Masters Tournament. After an up and down year, he is hoping that his knowledge of the course that sits 1500 metres above sea level in the Swiss Alps – and where he has recorded two further top five finishes – will pay dividends.

The 33 year old is joined in the field by defending champion Sebastian Soderberg and fellow Major winners Francesco Molinari and Henrik Stenson, who are making welcome returns to the event after eight and nine years respectively.

Soderberg sealed an impressive play-off victory in Crans Montana in 2019 – prevailing over Rory McIlroy, Andres Romero, Lorenzo Gagli and Kalle Samooja in a play-off to claim his first European Tour title – and is aiming to build on his first top 20 finish of the season in last week’s D+D Real Czech Masters.

His fellow Swede and 2016 Open Champion Stenson is also looking to carry over his form from last week, with an impressive putting performance leading to a tied fourth finish and his best result on the European Tour this season. While the man who lifted the Claret Jug two years later is focusing on staying pain free after an injury-plagued season, Molinari hopes that a long-awaited return to the venue where his finished in second place back in 2006 will help to kick start a good run leading into the end of the season.

Player quotes

Danny Willett: “We always say the place makes a week for us, and this is one of the best stops on the European Tour, if not any Tour, up here in Crans. We’ve had some pretty nice results around here. That week (his win in 2015) was very special. My mum and dad were there, the first time they had seen me win for a while. It’s just nice to come back to a place with great memories.

“You’ve got to control distance here. Notoriously small greens, tricky to putt, tricky to chip around. The guys who do well around here control the ball flight well, control the numbers into these small greens at altitude to give themselves birdie putts. It’s a real precise second shot golf course. There are a lot of chances out there so you just need to stay patient.”

Sebastian Soderberg: “It’s wonderful to be back, this course is special. Playing at this altitude with all of the upslopes and downhills, it’s a different experience and it’s definitely nice to be back.
“I finally feel like I’ve finally played some good golf (this season). I don’t think it was great for me to be leading last week in Czech Republic heading into this event. I haven’t played the weekend since May, so I had to deal with a few more emotions than I have in a while. I was a little rusty there I would say, but as much as you can put yourself in that position and gain from the experience the better. I’m definitely happy feeling those things coming into this week.”

Henrik Stenson: “It’s one of the iconic stops on the European Tour, it’s a beautiful week. Once you have made the climb to get up here it’s super easy – you can walk to golf course, restaurant, hotel, it’s got a great atmosphere. It’s bringing back some great memories from the early days on Tour as well.

“Last week in Czech Republic, putting was probably as good as it’s ever been over four days. I kept it super tidy on the greens and that’s where I made up a lot of ground. Kept it tight in terms of bogies as well. Other than a plugged ball on a fairway trap in the third round, I was more or less bogey free for three days. That’s a statement to how well we managed to play around the golf course on short game and putting.”

Francesco Molinari: “It’s very nice to be back here in Crans – it’s been a while. It’s a spectacular place, challenging and nice course, and a fun event to stay in town and walk around. First and foremost I want to be healthy and playing pain free, be more consistent without having to stop every other week. It would be nice to progress through the weeks and have a strong end of the season so next year can be different from this one.

“It’s a ball striking course, quite tight off the tee. If you go off line with the trees it is hard to score well. With the altitude, distance control is quite important. That’s something that I did well in the past and I need to do well again this week.”

Press Release by the European Tour Communications

Categories
European Tour Live Panorama PGA Tour Top Tours

FedEx Cup Rankings: Collin Morikawa ahead, this week's updates

Collin Morikawa is on the lead for the week of the FedEx Cup Ranking
Weekly analysis from Golf Post of the FedEx Cup Rankings. With Collin Morikawa still at number one, find out what else is happening on the European Tour this week.

Top 5 FedEx Cup Leaderboard

# Name Nationality Points Total Points Gained Events
1 Collin Morikawa USA 2171 xxx 20
2 Jordan Spieth USA 2139 xxx 22
3 Patrick Cantlay USA 2056 xxx 21
4 Harris English USA 2039 xxx 23
5 Jon Rahm ESP 2003 xxx 19
Collin Morikawa leads in the most recent FedEx Cup ranking table. The American’s points average is xxx. ‘s rank has not changed since the last count. ​ Ranked second is Jordan Spieth, with a points average of . The American has not changed positions in the rankings compared to last week. The American jumped from position 69 to 29, and now has a points average of xxx.
The No.1 Englishman in the FedEx Cup rankings is currently Paul Casey, in place 45 and has remained unchanged since last week.
Of everyone playing this week, the biggest winner is Kevin Kisner. has managed to jump 40 places in the ranking list.
Categories
European Tour

Wiesberger and Perez eyeing Ryder Cup run at Cazoo Classic

Bernd Wiesberger, from Austria, concentrates all his forces in the Cazoo Classic 2021

Tournament Preview

Bernd Wiesberger and Victor Perez will tee it up in this week’s Cazoo Classic at London Golf Club, both harbouring hopes of staking a late claim to secure a place on Pádraig Harrington’s European Ryder Cup team.

Both players are well and truly in the mix as the race for qualification concludes at the end of next month’s BMW PGA Championship, before Team Europe journeys to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin two weeks later in an attempt to retain the famous trophy they lifted in Paris three years ago.

Austrian Wiesberger currently lies in seventh position on the European Points List, helped by an eighth European Tour victory earlier this year at Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA, while Frenchman Perez sits just outside the cut-off mark on the World Points List behind Irishman Shane Lowry.

Wiesberger has enjoyed a three-week break since making the cut at The Open and returns to Kent feeling fresh and ready for the challenge. Perez, meanwhile, played last week’s WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis and is now targeting a return to the kind of form which earned him a fourth place finish in March’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Andy Sullivan is a man who has already experienced the Ryder Cup, having played in 2016, and the Englishman’s most recent European Tour win came almost exactly a year ago on home soil, so he will be hoping to feed off the memories of his 2020 English Championship triumph this week.

Player Quotes

Bernd Wiesberger: “I have not played a massive amount of golf in my time off to be honest, that’s why I’m feeling nice and fresh and enjoy hitting a few balls. I played 18 holes today for the second time since Sunday at The Open.

“So they were short golfing days for me back at home, but I’ve been up to all sorts of things, tried three weeks off tournament golf, but it’s time to switch on again and get a few good weeks going this week at London Golf Club.

“I’m not the youngest anymore so I need to conserve my energy and I feel good. I had a lovely time yesterday with Titleist up at the new facility at Woburn and got everything nicely dialled in and played 18 practice holes because it’s my first time at London Golf Club.

“The course looks like, I feel like it’s really a golf course that suits my game and that’s always good, to come to a place that does that. I feel fresh, eager to get going again and I’m looking forward to the week.

“Well there’s really only one target for me over the next four events I’m playing, four of the next five. After that fourth week there is a big cut-off so that’s the big target and just try and enjoy these four weeks and free up for them, give everything in those events and try get the best outcome possible. We’ll see if we reach that goal.”

Victor Perez: “Obviously I didn’t have the best of weeks last week, I felt like some parts of the game worked for me and some parts of the games were poor and it’s just a case of putting it all together. There were some good stretches which has been the case for a long time in the last five or six months where it’s been good for a little bit, bad for little bit and not consistent enough.

“So it’s just a matter of putting it all together. The course looks great and I’m excited for the week. It’s part of the game where you look and think a 67 should be a 72 and it works both ways so you just have to be grateful for the times it works and be patient for the times when it doesn’t work.

“Sometimes you shoot 71 and you feel like you’re so close to a 68 and getting the rounds going and equally sometimes you shoot 67 and you get away withy a lot, so it’s a matter of perspective really.

“It’s a big puzzle and it’s just a matter of figuring it out, the right balance oif it all. Sometimes it works and you don’t know why and you keep risding that wave. Then something gets a little off and it’s just a matter of putting the pieces together where you’re comfortable enough to just play. It’s always so easy when it works and equally it can be very difficult.

“It can happen so quickly, you get off to a great week. You get a win and then all of a sudden you’re straight back into the conversation so with the double points and the way it’s turning out to be, it’s going to come all the way down to the final week at Wentworth – being a Rolex Series event with double points. I think at the end of the day it’s just all about playing well, giving yourself chances and hitting good shots.”

Andy Sullivan: “I feel like the game is good, I’ve been playing nicely without doing anything special, just not being getting up and down around the greens enough in honesty.

“I’ve been going along nicely, not getting up and down and you come back a couple of shots or a shot and it just completely zaps all momentum in the round so I’ve been doing a bit of work the last couple of weeks on that, trying to get that tighter, but the game feels in good shape.

“I’m loving the greens this week, the greens are really quick which is a lot more down my alley so without having too much form coming in here I’m actually feeling quite confident my game.

“We’re all out here to be competitive, aren’t we, and when you’re not it is frustrating and there’s no hiding that. I’m not going to stand here and say I’m really happy I finished 50th the last two weeks because I’m not. I’m fuming with it, it’s not nice, so in all honesty finishing 50th the last two weeks is massively frustrating and I want to be at the top end of the leaderboard. It’s not nice going into Sunday’s and not really got much to play for so try and rectify that this week and make sure the short game is tight.”

Press Release by the European Communication Team