Matteo Manassero returns to the field after about a month to participate, along with Francesco Laporta, Guido Migliozzi, Andrea Pavan, and Gregorio De Leo, in the Omega European Masters, one of the longest-running tournaments on the DP World Tour. Founded in 1905 and now in its 91st edition, it takes place on the Crans-sur-Sierre GC course in Crans Montana, Switzerland, which has hosted it continuously since 1939.
Matteo Manassero, schedule
Defending his title, the last of five on the circuit, is Englishman Matt Wallace, a 35-year-old from Hillingdon, in a highly qualified field. His trophy cabinet also includes a victory on the PGA Tour, one on the HotelPlanner Tour, and six on the Alps Tour, an all-time record for victories in a single season (2016). He has played primarily in the United States and in twenty events has achieved a third-place finish (3M Open) and mid-ranking finishes, with seven cuts.
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The spotlight is on the other past winners, all capable of repeating their success. Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (2017, 2018) and Alex Noren (2009, 2016), fresh from last week's exploit in the British Masters, are seeking a third victory. Other Englishman Danny Willett (2015), South African Thriston Lawrence (2022), Danish Rasmus Hojgaard (2021), and Swede Sebastian Soderberg (2019) are hoping for a repeat. He won't be able to compete with the best, but Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (2010) will certainly be highly regarded, a 61-year-old from Malaga with 21 titles on the DP World Tour and 17 on the US PGA Tour Champions. Jimenez is playing the tournament for the 35th time. He will be making his 724th appearance on the circuit, two fewer than the record holder, Englishman David Howell (726).
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Other potential contenders include Englishmen Paul Casey, a member of LIV Golf, Aaron Rai, and John Parry, Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, France's Martin Couvra, Spain's Eugenio Chacarra, South Africa's Erik Van Rooyen, China's Haotong Li, Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, and Americans Wyndham Clark, Patrick Rodgers, Troy Merritt, Brandon Wu, and John Catlin, the 2024 Asian Tour number one.
Manassero, a 32-year-old from Negrar di Valpolicella (VR), after stumbles in the last three events, is trying to regain the momentum that led him to sixth place in the RBC Canadian Open. Laporta, a 34-year-old from Castellana Grotte (BA), the top Italian finisher in the Race to Dubai (53rd), is aiming to return to the top 50, while Migliozzi, a 28-year-old from Vicenza, and Pavan, a 36-year-old from Rome, are seeking confirmation after breaking their losing streaks (six and three consecutive cuts, respectively) in the British Masters. Finally, De Leo, a 25-year-old from Biella, who showed signs of improvement in the Danish Championship (4th), is committed to preserving his place in the rankings for next year (105th).
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The Omega European Masters is the second of nine events in the "Back 9," a cycle that concludes with the Genesis Championship (October 23-26, South Korea), after which the top 110 finishers in the Race to Dubai will qualify for the 2026 DP World Tour. The prize pool is $3,250,000.
History The tournament's first edition was held, as mentioned, in 1905 as the Swiss Open, but it took until 1923 for a second edition, after which it continued with some continuity. The name was preceded by the European Masters in 1983, and then the Swiss Open was dropped in 1992. From 2009 to 2017, it was organized in collaboration with the Asian Tour.
Eight Italian victories were achieved by Ugo Grappasonni (1948, 1952), Aldo Casera (1950), Alfonso Angelini (1957, 1966), Roberto Bernardini (1968, 1969), and Costantino Rocca (1997). Runners-up included Rocca himself, Lorenzo Gagli, Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, Delio Lovato, and Alfonso Angelini. The record for victories stands at three, held by six players: Spaniard Severiano Ballesteros, South African Harold Henning, Welshman Dai Rees, Frenchmen Auguste Boyer and Marcel Dallemagne, and Scotsman Alec Ross.
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In 1971, on the current course, Baldovino Dass was the first to score a 60 over 18 holes.
The tournament on Sky and streamed on NOW The Omega European Masters will be broadcast on Sky, the Sky Sport Golf channel, and streamed on NOW at the following times: Thursday, August 28th and Friday, August 29th, from 1:30 PM to 6:30 PM; Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st, from 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Commentary by Fabrizio Redaelli, Marco Cogliati, Massimo Scarpa, Silvio Grappasonni, and Michele Gallerani.
