Defending champion Thriston Lawrence reeled off six birdies in a row and then made an excellent par save from a bunker to secure the lead at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters as he looks to emulate the late, great Seve Ballesteros. Ballesteros is the only player to win this event three times since it became a DP World Tour tournament in 1972, doing so in 1977, 1978 and 1989 – but Lawrence has a chance to do likewise having triumphed at Crans-sur-Siere in 2022 and then again last season. The South African carded a bogey-free, seven-under 63 on Friday to reach 13 under par and take a two-shot advantage over Germany’s Jeremy Paul and Spain’s Ignacio Elvira – who shot a round-of-the day 62 – into the weekend in Switzerland. Japan’s Keita Nakajima sits fourth on 10 under with England’s Paul Casey among a group of three players in a share of fifth on nine under with 36 holes remaining.
Casey’s compatriot Harry Hall reached 10 under through nine holes of his second round after five front-nine birdies saw him go out in 30, only for a hip injury to then hamper him as he bogeyed three of his final five and slipped to seven under, six shots off the pace. Starting at the 10th, Lawrence parred five of his first six holes around a birdie at 13 before he ignited from the 16th when a superb tee shot left him a tap-in birdie. The 29-year-old picked up shots at his next five holes, too, with highlights including draining from over 40 feet at the first and then holing from off the green at the second. Lawrence was unable to add to his birdie haul across the last third of his round but saved par at five when he chipped on from the sand – his second attempt to get out of that hazard having initially used the putter to no avail.
Lawrence, without a top-10 finish since March, said afterwards: “I’ve played well all year. I’ve just been unfortunate so many times, missing the cut by one shot four or five times. I feel like I’ve been playing well, but mentally, I’m in a much better space. “Obviously, seeing birdies and seeing putts go in, I feel like you gain confidence from that.
Coming back to a place I love is just extra confidence.” Paul shot a six-under 64 in round two, with six birdies and an eagle – five of which came on his back nine, including a gain at the last – around bogeys at seven and nine. Elvira, one of four runners-up to Joe Dean at last week’s British Masters at The Belfry, mixed nine birdies with a solitary bogey in his eight-under Friday, chipping in for gains at the third and the ninth during his lowest round on the DP World Tour since July 2023. Watch round three of the DP World Tour’s Omega European Masters live on Sky Sports Golf from 11.30am, Saturday. The final round is then live on the same channel from 11am on Sunday.
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