Thriston Lawrence fired a final-round 62, beat Paul Casey in a four-hole playoff and joined Seve Ballesteros with three European Masters wins.
Thriston Lawrence turned a six-shot Sunday deficit into history at the Omega European Masters.
The South African closed with a flawless 8-under 62 at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club, then defeated Paul Casey on the fourth playoff hole to win the event for the third time. Lawrence finished regulation at 18 under alongside Casey before ending the playoff with a birdie.
The victory puts Lawrence in rare company.
He now joins Seve Ballesteros as the only three-time winner of the tournament since it became part of the European Tour schedule in 1972.
Lawrence previously won in 2022 and 2025, while Ballesteros captured the title in 1977, 1978 and 1989.
Lawrence needed something special after a difficult Saturday.
He had shared the halfway lead but slipped down the board with a third-round 73. Starting Sunday six behind Casey, he responded with eight birdies and no bogeys to post 18 under and force the leaders behind him to chase.
Casey nearly finished the job.
The Englishman recovered from a double bogey at the sixth and a bogey at the eighth, then surged with four birdies over a five-hole stretch on the back nine.
He reached 19 under and took a one-shot lead to the 18th, but a closing bogey dropped him into the playoff.
Both players made par on the first three extra holes before Lawrence finally broke through, rolling in the decisive birdie putt on the fourth trip through No. 18.
Harry Hall finished alone in third at 17 under after a bogey-free 63.
Angel Hidalgo, Angel Ayora, Eugenio Chacarra, Bernd Wiesberger and Francesco Laporta tied for fourth at 16 under.
Casey’s runner-up finish also carried significance beyond golf.
He pledged his prize money to a charity supporting victims affected by the deadly Crans-Montana fire, turning a painful defeat into a gesture aimed at helping the local community.
For Lawrence, though, Sunday was about resilience.
One day after appearing to play himself out of contention, he produced the round of the tournament and left Switzerland with another trophy and his name beside one of European golf’s greatest legends.
