Defending champion Thomas Björn will next week lead a parade of past winners to the spectacular Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club for the 80th edition of the Omega European Masters.
Björn, who has won the tournament twice and finished runner-up on two occasions, will be joined in Crans Montana by his fellow former champions Richie Ramsay (2012), Miguel Angel Jiménez (2010), Jean-François Lucquin (2008), Brett Rumford (2007), Bradley Dredge (2006), Robert Karlsson (2002), Ricardo Gonzalez (2001), Sven Strüver (1998), Mathias Grönberg (1995) and José-María Olazábal.
Björn, currently in third place in The Race to Dubai, is one of three confirmed members of Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup team who will compete for the €2.3 million prize fund, with Wales’ Jamie Donaldson and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson also heading to the Swiss Alps.
Depending on how he fares this week in Italy, where a runner-up finish would see the Scot leapfrog Graeme McDowell in the World Points List, Stephen Gallacher may also have confirmed his place in Paul McGinley’s side by the time he makes his ninth appearance in the Omega European Masters.
Meanwhile, home hopes will rest squarely on the shoulders of Martin Rominger, Raphaël de Sousa, Damien Ulrich and Fredrik Svanberg, whilst the 30-strong Asian Tour challenge will be spearheaded by the Indian duo of Anirban Lahiri and Rahil Gangjee, plus of course Thailand’s six-time European Tour champion Thongchai Jaidee.
Having hosted the event since 1939, Crans-sur-Sierre GC has become synonymous with the Omega European Masters and is widely acknowledged as one of the most scenic stops on The European Tour International Schedule.
The Seve Ballesteros-designed layout has undergone extensive renovations in recent seasons, with €5.8 million spent on creating an amphitheatre around the 13th green and building two lakes on the tenth and 12th fairways, amongst other improvements.
This year, additional investment has resulted in the remodelling and relocation of some bunkers on the front nine, whilst the fairways on the first, second and fourth holes have also been reshaped.
The most noteworthy change has been made to the ninth hole, which has been transformed with a spectacular new green.
During a press conference to announce the changes, the Organizing Committee – led by Gaston F. Barras, who is this year celebrating his 50th year as President – also announced that the tournament will be held earlier in the season in 2015, from July 23-26.
