The Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre is one of the iconic DP World Tour stops, with a litany of memorable moments from Seve’s legendary ‘over the wall, under the trees’ shot which was followed by a chip-in birdie to win in 1993, to Ludvig Åberg virtually guaranteeing a Ryder Cup selection with victory in just his second proper DP World Tour start in 2023.
The Alpine setting provides breathtaking views and breath-sapping climbs, but when the wind blows, beauty becomes the beast.
Moving day of the 2024 staging was one such occasion, as 35-mph winds whipped through the corridors and the top players on the DP World Tour were forced to batten down the hatches and hang on for dear life.
Matt Wallace hadn’t had a bogey in his previous 36 holes but had six on day three, but the fact that he maintained his four-stroke lead spoke volumes.
One player who was less than happy with the course setup was fellow Englishman Jordan Smith, who shot rounds of 66, 65 and 67 on days one, two and four respectively, but on Saturday, shot a seven-over 77 that effectively ended any chances of victory.
Smith took to ‘X’ to vent his fury, at the pin placements, clearly not willing to accept the fact that the pin placements were the same for everybody.
Plus the forecast was out at 6am with the first tee time being 7:30/45 so had time to change them! https://t.co/PwCBZe7RAM
— Jordan Smith (@Jsmithgolf) September 7, 2024
Professional golfers aren’t exactly renowned for their ability to look at the big picture and accept that sometimes it’s just not their day, but there were still three players who broke par on the day and another shot level-par, so though it may have been tough, it wasn’t impossible.