Omega European Masters: The Punter's Preview

---

Omega European Masters tournament history

Founded as the Swiss Open in 1923, the Omega European Masters has been staged at the stunning Crans-sur-Sierre course since 1939, and it's been an ever-present on the DP World Tour since its inception in 1972.

---

Venue

Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland.

---

Course Details

Par 70, 6,823 yards
Stroke index in 2024 - 70.42

With the spectacular Crans Montana mountain range constantly in view, Crans-sur-Sierre is very easy on the eye.

The course dates right back to 1908 but it's been tweaked quite a bit of late. Significant changes came in 1999, when Seve Ballesteros oversaw a redesign, and prior to the 2013 renewal, changes were made to four holes (10, 12, 13 and 17) with the biggest coming at the par three 13th, which now has a couple of lakes in front of the green and a seating area behind it. 

Further changes were made to holes one, two, four, five, nine and 14 in 2014. The fairways and fairway bunkers were remodelled on holes one, two and four. The tee was moved back by 25 yards on the par four fifth, making the hole no longer drivable, and the ninth was completely remodelled with changes to the fairway and bunkering, as well as a completely new green and green complex. The 14th hole, previously an easy par five, was reduced in length by just 38 yards and changed to a par four but it reverted back to a par five 11 years ago and it's been played as a par five ever since.

As part of a long-term project, the greens on the first, fourth and fifth holes were renovated in June 2023, to provide further pin placements, and plans are afoot for further work to be carried out in the coming years.

Prior to last year's renewal the par three eighth hole was remodelled (see the below tweet) and plans were afoot to alter the drivable par four seventh hole before this year's edition, but I haven't been able to ascertain if the work has been done.

Senior Tournament Director, Jose Maria Zamora, explains the changes to the 8th hole at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club #OEM2025 pic.twitter.com/IjT2Y3xEvy

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 29, 2025

The opening hole used to be a very easy par five but that was changed to a par four in 2015. It was the hardest hole on the course in 2024 and the second hardest last year, averaging 4.24.

The start to the two nines are challenging with three of the first four holes averaging over-par 12 months ago, along with the first three holes on the back nine.

The bentgrass/fescue fairways are sloped, mostly tree-lined, and of average width and the bentgrass/poa annua greens are very small and shaped like upturned-saucers.

Water is in-play on six holes - 10, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18 - while holes six and seven are short drivable par fours. Hardly anyone takes on the very narrow sixth, but the vast majority will have a go at driving the seventh. It was the easiest hole on the course last year, averaging only 3.33, but as already highlighted, the hole may have changed since last year's edition.

Crans is at altitude, so it doesn't play anywhere near as long as it's already short yardage.

---

Weather forecast

---

TV coverage

Live on Sky Sports all four days, starting at 12:30 on Thursday.

---

Last 10 winners with pre-event Betfair Exchange prices

2025 - Thriston Lawrence -22 70.069/1
2024 - Matt Wallace -11 (playoff) 18.017/1
2023 - Ludvig Aberg -19 22.021/1
2022 - Thriston Lawrence -18 (playoff) 44.043/1
2021 - Rasmus Hojgaard -13 55.054/1
2020 - Event Cancelled
2019 - Sebastian Soderberg -14 (playoff0 540.0539/1
2018 - Matthew Fitzpatrick -17 (playoff) 13.012/1
2017 - Matthew Fitzpatrick -14 (playoff) 30.029/1
2016 - Alex Noren -17 (playoff) 19.018/1
2015 - Danny Willett -17 18.017/1

---

A statistical look at the Omega European Masters

The Driving stats are always a little misleading here and probably not that useful. The course is short and at altitude so there's absolutely no need to go bombing it off the tee. The driver stays in the bag for most of the holes and neither the Driving Distance nor the Driving Accuracy stats are much use, as demonstrated perfectly by the defending champion Thriston Lawrence in 2022 when he won the event for the first time ranking 59^th for DD and 70^th for DA.

Lawrence ranked 47^th for DD and 11^th for DA last year and Sami Valimaki, who finished tied second, ranked 45^th and eighth for those two metrics.

The 2024 winner, Matt Wallace, ranked 13^th for DD and fourth for DA and although Rasmus Hojgaard, who finished tied for second alongside Valimaki 12 months ago, ranked first for DD and only 39^th for DA, accuracy appears slightly more important than power.

Matthew Fitzpatrick ranked first for Driving Accuracy when he defended the title in 2018 and 16^th when he won in 2017, and the 2021 winner, Rasmus Hojgaard, ranked second for D.A.

The last two winners have ranked only 23^rd and 34^th for Greens In Regulation but the three previous winners ranked third, 11^th and third and the first and second in 2018, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Lucas Bjerregaard, ranked second and first for GIR, so that's a key stat.

Fitzpatrick only ranked 16^th for GIR in 2017 but the man who lost in the playoff for a second year running, Scot Hend, ranked number one and the two men to finish tied second 12 months ago ranked fourth and ninth.

Looking back, eight of the last 19 winners have ranked either first or second for GIR but had Hend won the two playoffs in 2016 and 2017, and Hojgaard and Aberg ranked second instead of third, that would have read 12 from 19.

Year after year, finding these small greens with frequency is the key to victory but if you are going to miss the odd one, getting up-and down with regularity is vital.

Joakim Lagergren, who finished tied for eighth, topped the Scrambling stats last year and the next five in the rankings all finished inside the top six.

Lawrence ranked fifth last year and Wallace ranked seventh two years ago. It's a key stat year after year and five of the last 12 winners have ranked first, second or third for Scrambling. And that trend extends further back in time with 11 of the last 19 winners having ranked no worse than sixth for Scrambling.

Strokes gained figures have only been produced for the last six editions and nothing really stands out, although all six winners have ranked inside the top nine for SG: Tee-to-Green. Here are the last six winners with their rankings for each of the main SG categories.

(Key: SG-T - Strokes Gained: Off the Tee; SG-A - Strokes Gained: Approach; SG-ATG - Strokes Gained: Around the Tee; SG-T2G - Strokes Gained: Tee to Green; SG-P - Strokes Gained: Putting)

2025 - Thriston Lawrence - Tee 10 App 14 ATG 31 T2G 8 P 2
2024 - Matt Wallace - Tee 9 App 54 ATG 2 T2G 4 P 3
2023 - Ludvig Aberg - Tee 2 App 2 ATG 31 T2G 1 P 41
2022 - Thriston Lawrence - Tee 58 App 1 ATG 22 T2G 2 P 19
2021 - Rasmus Hojgaard - Tee 2 App 5 ATG 66 T2G 8 P 12
2020 - No Event
2019 - Sebastian Soderberg - Tee 8 App 35 ATG 7 T2G 9 P 17

---

Course specialists come to the fore at Crans

Course form holds up exceptionally well at this quirky and beautiful venue and that was demonstrated perfectly 12 months ago when four of the first five home were former winners.

The 2024 winner, Matt Wallace, who finished tied second when defending last year, was beaten by last year's winner, Lawrence, in a playoff three years ago and they're far from the only two to perform well here repeatedly.

Matthew Fitzpatrick has figures here reading MC-2-7-1-1-69-3-27-5 and he really should have won the event for a third time in 2023 (hit a low of [1.08) but he's still one of 13 players to win at the venue at least twice.

In addition to the three players already mentioned, the 2015 winner, Danny Willett, was playing Crans for a seventh time and he'd previously finished second and fifth. The 2013 winner, Thomas Bjorn, was winning the title for a second time in three years, the 2012 winner, Richie Ramsay, has twice finished inside the top ten here since, and the 2010 victor, Miguel Angel Jimenez, has nine other top tens to his name.

Rory McIlroy and Scott Hend haven't won the title but they've both been beaten in two playoffs so anyone that's fared well here previously needs to be considered but if recent history is anything to go by, plumping for a course debutant may well be a decent tactic too given the four winners between 2019 and 2023 (no event in 2020) were all playing here for the first time.

---

Cream rises to the top at Crans

Although a previous winner, Lawrence went off at the generous price of 70.069/1 12 months ago and that was a big price given how well fancied most winners are here.

David Lipsky went off at 240.0239/1 when he won here 12 years ago and Sebastian Soderberg was very much a surprise winner seven years ago, but the four winners before him were fairly well-fancied and the four winners before Lawrence were easy enough to fancy in very open heats.

Crans-sur-Sierre has often produced a big-name winner, and the Omega European Masters has an impressive list of winners with many true greats having won here.

Thomas Bjorn, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Colin Montgomerie, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood have all won here in the modern era and the 2015 champ, Danny Willett, joins an illustrious list of major champions to have taken this title. Sir Nick Faldo, Seve, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam and Ernie Els have all won here. The cream often rises to the top and concentrating hard on the market leaders usually makes sense.

---

Winner's position and Betfair Exchange price pre-round four

2025 - Thriston Lawrance - led by one 3.5551/20
2024 - Matt Wallace - led by four 1.422/5
2023 - Ludvig Aberg tied second - trailing by two 7.413/2
2022 - Thriston Lawrence led by three 1.9110/11
2021 - Rasmus Hojgaard tied 15^th - trailing by four 48.047/1
2020 - Event Cancelled
2019 - Sebastian Soderberg tied ninth - trailing by four 100.099/1
2018 - Matthew Fitzpatrick led by two 1.738/11
2017 - Matthew Fitzpatrick tied third - trailing by four 9.08/1
2016 - Alex Noren solo second - trailing by a stroke 2.6813/8
2015 - Danny Willett tied for the lead 2.285/4

---

Drama and a tight finish highly likely

We very often get a tight finish here and there's been a playoff in eight of the last 12 renewals.

The defending champ, Matt Wallace, was matched at 1.9520/21 in-running last year after Lawrence started the final round nervously. He composed himself brilliantly after the jittery start and sprinted away on the back nine to win by a couple of strokes but we often see plenty of drama here.

Having led by four with 18 to play, Wallace traded at as short as 1.111/9 in regulation play two years ago before Spanish long shot, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia , who was 1000.0999/1 chance before the off, birdied the last to take the event into extra time and although Ludvig Aberg won easily in the end three years ago, Matt Fitzpatrick was matched at just 1.081/12 in-running before the wheels fell off deep into the back nine.

And after Wallace last year, we've now seen someone trade at odds-on and get beat in four of the last five renewals.

Wallace hit a low of 1.84/5 in 2022 and Bernd Wiesberger was matched at just 1.121/8 in 2021 so it's a place to take on odds-on shots in-running on a Sunday.

The 2021 winner, Rasmus Hojgaard, was matched at 150.0149/1 in-running and the 2019 champ, Sebastian Soderberg hit 1000.0999/1, and he was still trading at a triple-figure price with a round to go. Both men had trailed by four strokes with through 54 holes and Aberg was two adrift on Sunday morning in 2023, but most winners are bang up with the pace from halfway here.

Fitzpatrick sat tied for 15^th and just three off the lead after day one when he won here for the first time in 2017 but like Soderberg and Rasmus Hojgaard, he was five adrift at halfway and that's unusually far back for winners here.

He was trailing by five after round one in 2018 and the man he beat in the playoff, Lucas Bjerregaard, was four off the lead but they both made up ground on Friday, and they sat tied for second at halfway. Aberg was three off the lead and tied fifth at halfway three years ago, but you generally need a rapid start here.

Lawrence sat second after round one and third at halfway last year but Wallace led by four after 36 holes in 2024 and in the 25 editions since 1999, 10 halfway leaders have gone on to win and two have been beaten in playoffs. A strike rate of 40% for 36-hole leaders is pretty impressive.

If you are going to get involved in-running, bear in mind that the two par fives on the back-nine, 14 and 15, are reachable in two and they offer up a great chance to score, but the par three 16^th is tough and any gains at 14 and/or 15 can soon be given back.

---

Bookmark Betting.Betfair for golf betting tips every week

---