Berry Henson of the United States hopes he can finally find success in his third attempt at the Omega European Masters which tees off at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland from September 5-8.
The Omega European Masters is the only tournament on European soil to be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour and will mark the start of the second half of the Asian Tour season.
The 34-year-old American missed the cut in his maiden appearance at the Omega European Masters in 2011 and finished tied-61st last year.
Henson, who is rated as one of the best ball-strikers on the Asian Tour, is however confident with his return to the picturesque Swiss Alps as it has been bolstered by his recent win on his domestic circuit and the wealth of experience he has gained.
“This will be my third time competing at the Omega European Masters and I feel my experience will help tremendously especially with the golf course’s tricky design,” said Henson.
“The playing conditions and set up are very different from anything we play all year and I look forward to preparing for the long drives and hitting my wedges 150 yards. But apart from the golf, I always looking forward to the amazing town and spectacular views that surround the event,” added Henson.
Leaving the comforts of home in search of new challenges on the region’s premier Tour, the American enjoyed a sensational rookie season in 2011 by claiming two victories on the Asian Tour and the Asian Development Tour in a span of three weeks.
“I still remember when I first arrived in Hua Hin, Thailand for Qualifying School and I felt like I was in another world. I was 18 hours away from home and I just can’t hop onto the plane if someone’s in trouble. I felt good as I was doing something new but at the same time, I also felt uncomfortable,” said Henson.
“It has been more than two years and I really feel comfortable in Asia now. Winning the Philippines Open has definitely the highlight of my career so far. I won the Clearwater Masters on the ADT before that and the feeling of winning back-to-back is awesome as I’ve never done that before,” added Henson.
Henson has yet to miss a single cut in nine starts this season and is confident that he can continue his impressive run on the Asian Tour, which is celebrating its 10th season this year.
“I’ve enjoyed a very solid start to the year. I have put myself in a position where one good week can put me right where I need to be. I’ll continue to prepare the same way and stay in my process and I know I will improve on my last years end ranking,” said Henson.
Henson will be joined by other Asian Tour champions including Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, Australia’s Scott Hend and Bangladesh’s Siddikur at the Omega European Masters.
They will face a stellar field from the European Tour that features the likes of Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, Italy's Matteo Manassero, 2010 Omega European Masters champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain as well as Scotland's Paul Lawrie and Richie Ramsay who will be returning to defend his title.