Niall Lyons has four selections from this week's Omega European Masters at Crans Sur Sierre GC, Switzerland.
Omega European Masters
The Omega European Masters will be held at Crans Sur Sierre GC, Switzerland.
This iconic layout is etched in our minds now after decades of this event and there's little doubt it's one of the most coveted prizes on the circuit.
With a short yardage and playing at altitude this course will be taken on by many off the tee and although driving distance hasn't featured much here down the years it's worth noting that Aberg and Hojgaard finished in the top 5 in that statistic in 2023 whilst Mansell was 3rd the year before having ranked 4th in driving distance.
The first two home last year ranked 13th and 14th in driving distance. I'd favour accuracy though with Bjork and Rozner both topping that stat in 2022 and 2023 and making the top 5.
Last year two of the top 5 in driving accuracy were inside the top 3. Staying out of trouble with plenty of water around key.
It's really what you do from your second shot onwards here that will count and those who either hit plenty of greens or scramble well will feature late on Sunday afternoon.
This is one of the tracks that holds up previous form the most on tour and it's important to keep that in mind when narrowing down the field.
That being said three of the last four winners have been debutants so ruling out those coming here for the first time would be foolish.
Below is a look at the top performers in the last four editions of this tournamnet.
Omega European Masters Tips
- 4pts WIN A.Noren 12/1 General
- 3pts WIN R.Hojgaard 18/1 General
- 1pt each-way J.Parry 50/1 (1/5 6) Starports
- 1pt each-way A.Ayora 50/1 (1/5 8) Bet365 8 place market
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Alex Noren (WIN) 12/1
I've tried and I've tried to find reasons to turn down Alex Noren this week and I can't quite find enough.
Sure, this is a tough task to go back to back after a gruelling Sunday at the Belfry, but he faces very similar opposition this week to last and I can't quite believe that Fitzpatrick has shortened 4pts from last week whilst the Swede has dropped a couple.
Fitzpatrick disappointed last week and he has a habit of frittering away shots needlessly and when it's not going to plan his attitude often hinders him further.
Noren was the epitome of class last Sunday and deserved the victory. His form arriving there was solid and those dropping in class once again proved a point.
The same could happen again this week and with Noren already having won here back in 2016 and a couple of other top 10s posted I have to believe he has a great chance of going back to back.
The price dictates this more than anything.
We have additions of the likes of Casey and Clark but the prices of Neergaard Petersen, Penge and the Hojgaards have all largely stayed the same.
I can't quite believe Noren's price hasn't collapsed further with the course form to boot and I'll bet accordingly.
Rasmus Hojgaard (WIN) 18/1
Ludvig Aberg won here in 2023 to cement a wildcard pick in that years Ryder Cup and although Rasmus Hojgaard now doesn't need one following last week's effort I firmly believe he can put his best foot forward now with the pressure off and enjoy a successful week in the Swiss Mountains.
Course form holds up so very well here and he is another former winner I'm keen to have on board. His victory came back in 2021 and he was sitting pretty at the halfway stage last year before stalling a little over the weekend.
Last week's 13th placed finish was full of pressure all the four days and I don't think he will get enough credit for how he handled it.
The place in the Ryder Cup team was so important to him having missed out last time and to get the business done on the bridle was just so good.
Having hit the ball so well in Denmark before that he has everything going for him in Crans and will be looking to put a marker down this week to make Donald pick him in more than two games before Sunday.
Every chance of following up with another victory here and a similar price to last week is absolutely fine.
John Parry E/W 50/1 (Six Places)
I've been looking for a chance to bet John Parry and I won't be turning him down here at 50/1.
There is no doubt this is a tall order for someone like Parry given the strength of the field towards the top of this market but Parry looks like a PGA Tour member in the waiting currently ranked 6th on the Race to Dubai rankings and with some pressure off I wouldn't be surprised to see a strong finish to the season for the Englishman.
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Parry has never done much around Crans before with a 16th placed finish in 2015 being his best, but it's fair to say his game has improved an awful low this year and having a runner up finish at the linked Muthaiga track in Kenya earlier this year is a big positive.
Altitude courses should be ideal for the short hitting Parry and with his approach play in such good nick all season he should be able to score quite well at Crans this time around.
Angel Ayora E/W 50/1 (Eight Places)
This looks like a time worth risking the talented Spaniard Angel Ayora who after a bright start to his maiden season on tour hasn't quite hit the heights we expected of him.
Last week at the British Masters Ayora posted his best tee to green numbers of the year when finishing 13th and a better week on the greens could have really seen him contend there.
That bodes well for this week and with his length off the tee he is one of the longer hitters who could really take advantage of the short par 4s.
He posted a top 20 at Muthaiga this year and last year on debut here he missed the cut but got it together on day two to shoot a round of 68 having opened with a 76.
With confidence brewing in his long game he looks worth the risk at 50/1+.
