Todd Clements returns to defend his title at the D+D REAL Czech Masters as the event moves to a new venue for its tenth anniversary. Here are your five things to know.
Clements back to defend his title
Clements claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory 12 months ago as he carded a brilliant bogey-free 63 to hold off the challenge of Matt Wallace.
The Englishman made three hat-tricks of birdies from the first, sixth and 11th to record his lowest round in a European Tour group event and finish at 22 under, one clear of countryman Wallace, who was also bogey-free in his 67. The four-time DP World Tour winner hit a wonderful approach into the last to leave himself nine feet to force a play-off but missed on the high side and it was Clements who was left celebrating.
“Given the circumstances that’s got to be the best round of my life,” Clements said after his win. “I’m over the moon. I’ve dreamt about winning for a long time and with my birthday coming up on Tuesday I couldn’t be happier. Three shots to make up is a tough ask but I knew I was playing well enough to get in amongst it. I feel like I did my job on every shot and obviously the luck was with me today because I holed a few long ones.”
He has not found his best form since - giving a memorable Green Room interview at the Porche Singapore Classic which you can see below - but he arrives in the Czech Republic having made a first cut in four last time out at the Barracuda Championship.
Post-round interviews don't come much better than this 😂@golfclements at the Porsche Singapore Classic ⏪ pic.twitter.com/LIR7caOb5m
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 10, 2024
New venue for tenth anniversary
Ever since Jamie Donaldson lifted the trophy at this event in 2014 to secure his place at the memorable Ryder Cup where he would hit the winning shot, it has been a regular fixture on the DP World Tour International Schedule. It has been played every year since barring the Covid-affected 2020 season, producing six first-time winners, with Thomas Pieters the only multiple winner with two victories.
This year the D+D REAL Czech Masters moves to PGA National OAKS Prague, which was designed by world-leading architect Kyle Phillips and is managed by the renowned company Troon Privé. The front nine welcomed players in the autumn of 2019, with the entire 18-hole course opening in the summer of 2020. It is the Czech Republic’s only PGA National brand.
Ryder Cup veterans looking to impress
Along with current European Captain Luke Donald and his Vice Captain Edoardo Molinari, we have a host of Ryder Cup stars from both sides of the Atlantic playing this week.
Major Champions Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett and Jason Dufner tee it up on the outskirts of Prague along with another American star in Brandt Snedeker. Snedeker arrives this week having just been named as a United States Vice Captain for 2025 and the recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, an honour given by the PGA TOUR to a player whose "values align with the character, charitable mindset, and sportsmanship that Stewart showed".
Fellow Ryder Cuppers Rafa Cabrera Bello, Ross Fisher, Stephen Gallacher, Andy Sullivan, Bernd Wiesberger and Oliver Wilson are also teeing it up this week.
Open stars back in action
Making a first start since his remarkable performance at The Open Championship, Dan Brown returns to action looking to maintain his momentum from Royal Troon. The Englishman had not played a weekend on the DP World Tour since March before making the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open but found his form in spectacular style during his second week in Scotland. An opening 65 saw him lead The Open after round one and he went out on the final group on Saturday with Shane Lowry before finishing the week in a tie for tenth on his Major debut.
Another Open star teeing it up this week is Matthew Jordan, who carded four rounds of 71 to finish alongside Brown at level par for his second consecutive Open top ten.
There are more familiar faces making welcome returns after The Open too, with DP World Tour winners Sami Välimäki and Ryo Hisatsune both making their first regular appearances of the calendar year.
The Closing Swing is back in action
After three weeks away, the Closing Swing returns for its fourth of five events as we reach the business end of the DP World Tour season.
At the culmination of next week's Danish Championship, we will not only have reached the end of the Closing Swing but the end of the five Global Swings, with plenty on offer for a pair of strong weeks. The winner of the Closing swing will earn $200,000 as well as a place in the field for all of the Back 9 events, while the end of the Global Swings phase will see a further $1million Bonus Pool shared among the leading ten players on the Race to Dubai who have played a minimum of eight ‘regular’ Global Swings events outside the Major Championships and co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open.
With a maximum of 1,000 points up for grabs over the next two weeks, it is all to play for.
