Mbombelan professional golfer Thriston Lawrence claimed the fifth DP World Tour win of his career, grinding out a tough and emotional win at the Omega European Masters on Sunday, August 31.

Last week marked the second time that Lawrence was crowned the King of the Mountains at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland, having previously won in 2022. What made the win even sweeter, is that it was by no stretch of the imagination an easy outing for the Lowvelder.

Lawrence started his week with a seven-under first round to find himself one shot off the lead, before a four-under second round kept him two shots behind the leader.

Although it was the round that saw him take the lead, the third round was a tough battle as Lawrence had to complete the final six holes of the round on Sunday morning, prior to the start of the fourth round. He had already surged into the lead at 17-under when play was interrupted due to bad light on Saturday, and promptly moved to 18-under in the morning to go into the fourth round with a one-shot lead.

The final round was a roller-coaster for the 28-year-old. Things got off to a nightmare start when his slender lead evaporated early on as he bogeyed each of the opening three holes to slip two shots off the pace. In dire need of a shift in momentum Lawrence eagled the par-four sixth hole after driving the green and sinking a lengthy eagle putt.

The next eight holes was the stretch that defined Lawrence’s week as he continued his fight-back by adding five birdies to his name to move three shots ahead of the chasing pack.

There was a brief moment of concern for Lawrence when on the 15th hole his second shot looked destined for the penalty area and thick rough. He had, however, earned a bit of luck and found his ball, managing to escape with a vital par, but his lead was cut to two shots.

The final three holes were faultless for Lawrence as he parred his way over the line to win the 90th Omega European Masters by two strokes, ending on 22-under par for the tournament. Lawrence described himself as emotional after his hard-fought victory.

“Winning is tough; I was so nervous all day. It always looks so easy but it’s not. I’m just so emotional, so happy. It’s been a grind all day,” Lawrence said following his win.

“Obviously after that start, I tried to give the guys a chance there! But yeah, I’m just so proud of the way I fought out there. Big credit to my team and all my sponsors. I’m just so happy. Having some sort of family here is incredible, and I’m so grateful to all my family back home who have been supporting me through all the years – thank you to them.”

Lawrence’s aggregate score of 258 for the week is the lowest score recorded at a four-round European Masters. He also became the 17th winner of the European Masters to claim multiple titles and only the third South African to do so.

Perhaps most importantly though is the fact that the win ended a two-year wait for a victory on any tour for Lawrence as his last win prior to Sunday came at the 2023 BMW International Open. It also saw him jump 79 places in the Race to Dubai Rankings, up to 19th, and up to 68th in the World Golf Rankings.