Crans Montana, Switzerland: Shiv Kapur finished as the best Indian (tied 26th) at Omega European Masters, while Anirban Lahiri's free fall continued here on Sunday.
Anirban, the sole leader on first day with a round of 63, Lahiri shot even par on second and then had 75-75 on the weekend to finish. Kapur's 69 with three birdies and one bogey saw him finish at six-under 278 for the week in tied 26th place in the only tournament on European soil to be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
Lahiri at even par 284 was tied 57th while Gaganjeet Bhullar (77) slid to tied 62nd at two-over 286 for 72 holes.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn fend off the spirited challenge of Scotland’s Craig Lee by sinking a 12-foot birdie putt in the first play-off hole to win his second European Masters title.
After three days of glorious sunshine at the scenic mountain resort at Crans Montana, heavy fog and rains pelted down on the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
But it was Bjorn who braved the elements by finishing regulation play with a six-under-par 65 and then gained the upper hand on overnight leader Lee during the play-off.
“It was nice. I had a really good run through the summer and did not really get close enough. I had to grit my teeth for a while and I really wanted to get out and try to win a golf tournament again,” said Bjorn.
Lee came narrowly close to a record breaking round with his 61 on Saturday and needed a birdie to win the tournament outright at the 18th.
He however watched in disbelief as his ball flirted with the edge of the hole before failing to drop.
“The putter was pretty cold the first nine but nobody was running away from it. Thomas made a charge but didn’t capitalise on the two par fives. That let me back in and I dug deep and managed to birdie the two par fives myself and gave myself a chance coming down the last and just lipped out on the last,” said Lee.
“I would certainly have taken second place before the week started. Even after the first round when I was level par and on the border cut line. So I’m delighted with my performance,” added Lee.
That left Lee with a final round 67 and meant he finished level with Bjorn on 20-under-par 264 total.
It was then left to Bjorn to lift his second Omega European Masters win since 2011 when Lee could not match his birdie-three during the play-off.
“I came in this week not playing particularly great but promised myself I would stick to how I play this golf course. I did that and had two bogeys in 72 holes, which is good going around here. I felt good and I got over the line. It was nice to do that in a playoff. I’ve had a hard time dealing with pressure situations and there is no more pressure than that,” said the Dane.
Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee was the highest-ranked Asian after he finished tied-ninth by closing with his week’s best score of 65 at the €2.1 million, approximately US$2.8 million showpiece event.
The Omega European Masters is the only tournament on European soil to be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour and marks the start of the second half of the Asian Tour season.
