by Matt Wallace ended a six-year drought on the DP World Tour on Sunday in Switzerland.
The 34-year-old Englishman birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia and win the Omega European Masters. It is Wallace’s first world title victory since winning the Corales Puntacana Championship last year on the PGA Tour, but it is his first DPWT triumph since 2018, when he won three times on the European Tour – the Hero Indian Open, BMW International Open and Made in Denmark. Wallace lost the 2022 European Masters in a playoff to South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.
“I wasn’t focused at that point,” said Wallace, who hit an 8-foot shot in the playoffs.That“It’s concentrated for me, right now. I’m in great shape.”
Wallace led by four shots after a wild third round that saw just three under par scores and a scoring average over 76. Wallace followed his Saturday 73 with two birdies and bogeys Sunday. He bogeyed his first hole and then the par-3 16th, where he chipped about 12 feet from the hole and missed par. He also hit his second shot on the par-5 ninth into the trees and had to fight for a tough par. His birdies came on Nos. 7 and 15.
He finished with a par 70, which opened the door for Garcia-Heredia and Beef Johnston of England to make rounds. Johnston shot a 66 to finish at 10 under par, one shot back. Garcia-Heredia also shot a 66, putting his final approach to 5 feet and birdieing No. 18 for the third time this week, forcing extra holes.
“It was a tough day, man,” an emotional Wallace said. “It wasn’t easy. I felt like there was a score to win, but I couldn’t get it going. I played well, and let’s not say it, and I could have easily lost control a lot of times the last couple of days, especially yesterday, with how tough the game was.”
“But damn it, I persisted, it’s me, it’s golf. It’s Matt Wallace’s golf.”
Although it is too early, Wallace now holds the top spot in the European Ryder Cup rankings for next year’s matches at Bethpage Black. Last year in Rome, Wallace worked as a member of the media.
“I’m going to stop crying because it’s joyful,” Wallace said. “It’s great, I’m working hard, Ryder Cup, here we go!”
