Højgaard’s timely 63 secures Omega European Masters title

Rasmus Højgaard has won the Omega European Masters after shooting a final round 63 at Crans-sur-Sierre.

The 20-year-old Dane, who let slip a three-shot, 54-hole lead at the Cazoo Classic earlier this month, birdied five of the last six holes in Switzerland to take the clubhouse lead at 13 under par.

The tournament’s third round leader Bernd Wiesberger, arrived at the tee on the par-four 18th on 14 under, needing a par for victory, but the 35-year-old Austrian, who needed a win to move into the automatic qualification places for the European Ryder Cup team, endured a final hole horror show, blocking his tee shot into a fairway bunker and then hitting his second shot into the water en route to a double bogey, which handed an unlikely victory to an almost disbelieving Højgaard.

The young Dane appeared too far behind to get into contention after just two birdies and 10 pars over the first 12 holes, but he jumped into contention with birdies at 13 and 15 either side of an eagle at the par-five 14th. A birdie at the last, set up by an approach to nine feet, capped a sensational burst of scoring down the stretch and swept him into the clubhouse lead, with

Wiesberger rolled in his fifth birdie putt of the day at the 12th and matched Hojgaard’s eagle at the 14th only to give one back with a six at the next, although the Austrian bounced back with a birdie at 16 to restore his two-shot lead. Hojgaard’s closing three reduced that deficit to one, and the pressure told on Wiesberger at the last as he threw away the chance to secure an automatic place in Padraig Harrington’s team to face the USA at Whistling Straits next month.

Wiesberger finished alone in second, one shot behind Højgaard, with Henrik Stenson, who also shot a closing 63, another shot behind on 11 under. English pair Matthew Jordan and Ross McGowan joined American Sean Crocker in a tie for fourth at ten under. McGowan, who got to 14 under after going out in 31, saw his chance of victory disappear after dropping three shots on the back nine.

“I’m very proud,” said Højgaard, for whom this was a third win on the European Tour in only his third season. “At the moment it’s a bit surreal. I didn’t expect to be in this position, but it’s amazing. I knew I had to make a birdie at the 18th to have a chance to maybe get in the play-off, so we were just trying to set up a chance. I made a birdie and then we had a bit of a strange ending. It was crazy.”

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