Willett wins Omega Masters
Danny Willet won the Omega European Masters by one stroke in Switzerland on Sunday.
The Englishman’s flawless final round of 65 saw him finish on 17 under for the event, one stroke ahead of Matthew Fitzpatrick at the scenic Crans-Sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps.
Willett, who started the day as co-leader, kept up with Fitzpatrick following a birdie on the fifth, but his fellow countryman rolled in four birdies to take the lead at the turn.
However, the man from Sheffield held his nerve to reply with a hat-trick of birdies on the back nine to grab the outright lead. Willett drained par putts on the final three holes to eke out a one shot win, earning his third win on the European Tour in the process.
“It was a great day,” quipped the 27-year-old on europeantour.com.
“Yesterday was a bit disappointing, but today I played some really good golf. Matt was snapping at my heels all day, so I’m delighted to get the job done.
“I kept really calm all day, and just waited for the chances to come. Winning is always tough, and the heart rate on 18 was pretty high.
“Having a lag putt is almost trickier than trying to hole one sometimes, so I was pretty relieved to see it stop a foot or two from the hole.”
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick heaped praise on Willett for holding his nerve on the back nine to grind out the win.
“I played to win but Danny just went one better, so you have to take your hat off to him,” said the 20-year-old.
“I don’t have any regrets whatsoever, and that is all you can ask of yourself. I gave it everything, but Danny was very impressive. There were a couple of turning points which decided it, but I matched him birdie for birdie for the most part.
“I know Danny very well, he is also from Sheffield so I am very pleased for him. I am really pleased with the week. It has been building for a few weeks now, so hopefully I can get over the line at some stage.”
The round of the day would belong to Tyrell Hatton, whose stunning eight under par 62 – which included a superb eagle on the seventh – saw him finish on his own in third place on 15 under par.
Sweden’s Pelle Edberg claimed fourth place, while rising star Anirban Lahiri of India would finish five shots off the pace in fifth position.
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