Englishman Danny Willett drained three late birdies and fired a final round of 65 devoid of bogeys to win the Omega European Masters by one shot over compatriot Matthew Fitzpatrick at Crans-Montana on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Yorkshireman, who held the halfway lead at last week’s The Open and eventually finished tied for sixth, hit a five-under-par round that crucially included birdies at 13, 14 and 15 as Fitzpatrick, 20, paid the price for a bogey at the 11th.
Tyrell Hatton was alone in third spot on 15-under, as English players swept the top three places, with Sweden’s Pelle Edberg a further shot back in fourth and India’s Anirban Lahiri completing the top five on 12-under, five shots adrift of Willett.
Photo: AP
“It was a great day,” Willett said after winning his third title on the tour. “Yesterday [Saturday] was a bit disappointing, but today I played some really good golf.”
“Matt [Fitzpatrick] was snapping at my heels all day, so I’m delighted to get the job done,” he said. “I kept really calm all day, and just waited for the chances to come.”
“Two wins and good performances in majors and golf championships is more than I could have hoped for really, but I have worked really hard so it is nice to get the rewards for it,” added Willett, who is a former world No. 1 at the amateur level and had a successful college career in the US.
Fitzpatrick was sporting in defeat and admitted the best man won on the day.
“I played to win, but Danny just went one better, so you have to take your hat off to him,” the youngster said. “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.”
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