From DP World Tour
Thriston Lawrence became a two-time winner of the Omega European Masters after recovering from a nightmare start to post a closing 66 and secure a two-shot victory.
The South African went into the final round with a one-shot lead but made a bogey-bogey-bogey start to surrender his advantage and fall two behind.
With fellow past champions Matt Wallace and Matt Fitzpatrick now ahead of him, Lawrence had no choice but to force the issue and bravely took on the par-four sixth.
He was rewarded with an eagle there before firing five birdies in his next eight holes to open up a three-shot lead.
Lawrence’s heart will have been in his mouth when his approach at the 15th flew towards the penalty area but he managed to save par.
And he safely parred his way home to finish on 22-under-par and clinch his fifth DP World Tour title and a second at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club following his 2022 triumph.
Wallace finished in a tie for second on 20-under alongside Rasmus Højgaard and Sami Välimäki, while Fitzpatrick was another stroke further back.
A roller-coaster final day started with Lawrence two shots clear at the top but he saw his lead reduced to a single stroke at the conclusion of the weather-delayed third round on Sunday morning.
His slender lead evaporated altogether early in the final round as Lawrence bogeyed each of the opening three holes to slip two shots off the pace.
But he bounced back in style, driving the green at the par-four sixth before slotting in his eagle putt from just shy of 20 feet to get within one shot of the lead.
And he added close-range birdies at the seventh and ninth to sit just one stroke behind Wallace at the turn.
Lawrence kept his foot on the gas as he started the back nine, joining the lead with a five-foot birdie on the tenth.
A stunning approach into the 12th set up a four-foot birdie as Lawrence regained the outright lead on 21-under and he would soon find himself with a three-shot cushion following a two-shot swing at the 14th.
Lawrence made a serene five-foot birdie to move to 22-under but his playing partner Wallace dunked his second shot into the water to surrender a bogey and drop to 19-under.
But there were more twists and turns still to come as Lawrence’s second shot on the long 15th raced towards the penalty area and the thick rough.
He found his ball and managed to escape with a valuable par but the mistake allowed the chasing pack to cut his lead to two strokes.
However, Lawrence did not put a foot wrong over the closing holes and could celebrate a stunning victory.
An emotional Lawrence said: “Winning is tough. It’s not easy. 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.
“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.
“Credit to my team and all my sponsors. I’m just so happy.”
Lawrence, whose partner was in Switzerland to witness his win, added: “Just to have some sort of family here is incredible.
“All my family back home that’s been supporting me through all the years. Just thank you to them.
“And yeah, it’s nice to have someone here.”
Wallace paid tribute to Lawrence, saying: “Thriston played great. He didn’t give anything away.
“Especially after the first three holes, to do that is pretty impressive, to be fair. And he’s such an aggressive player. I think that driver on the sixth is probably the shot of the week and the putt as well really got him going.
“Full credit to him, he deserves to win this one.”
