Matt Wallace ended a six-year drought on the DP World Tour on Sunday in Switzerland.
The 34-year-old Englishman birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Spain’s Alfredo Garcia-Heredia and win the Omega European Masters. It’s Wallace’s first worldwide victory since he captured last year’s Corales Puntacana Championship on the PGA Tour, but it’s his first DPWT triumph since 2018, when he won three times on the European circuit – Hero Indian Open, BMW International Open and Made in Denmark. Wallace lost the 2022 European Masters in a playoff against South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.
“I wasn’t focused then,” said Wallace, who sank an 8-footer in the playoff. “That’s focused for me right there. I’m buzzing.”
Wallace led by four shots after a wild third round that saw just three under-par scores and a scoring average north of 76. Wallace followed his Saturday 73 with offsetting pairs of birdies and bogeys on Sunday. He bogeyed his opening hole and then the par-3 16th, where he chunked a chip about 12 feet short of the hole and missed the par save. He also hooked his second shot at the par-5 ninth into the trees and had to scramble for a tough par. His birdies came at Nos. 7 and 15.
He closed in even-par 70, opening the door for Garcia-Heredia and England’s Beef Johnston to make runs. Johnston carded 66 to end up 10 under, a shot back. Garcia-Heredia also shot 66, sticking his final approach to 5 feet and birdieing No. 18 for the third time this week to force extra holes.
“That was a hard day, man,” Wallace said, getting emotional. “It wasn’t easy. I felt like there was a score out there, but I just couldn’t get anything going. … I’ve been playing great, and you don’t want to give it away, and I could’ve easily lost it a few times the last couple days, especially yesterday with how hard it was playing.
“But man, I stuck at it, and that’s me, and that’s golf. That’s Matt Wallace golf right there.”
Though early, Wallace now sits atop the European Ryder Cup points standings for next year’s matches at Bethpage Black. Last year in Rome, Wallace was working as a member of the media.
“I’m going to stop crying because this is happy,” Wallace said. “This is great, like – I work hard, Ryder Cup, let’s go!”
