DID YOU KNOW – OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS
• Thomas Björn won the 2011 Omega European Masters, seven days after winning the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. It was the first time he had won consecutive tournaments during his European Tour career. The Dane also made European Tour history by becoming the oldest player to win back-to-back European Tour events, aged 40 years and 198 days.
• In 2010 Miguel Angel Jiménez won his first Omega European Masters title at the 22nd attempt.. This was a new European Tour record for a player competing in the same event before winning it for the first time. The 2013 Omega European Masters will be his 25th appearance.
• Should Richie Ramsay make a successful defence of the Omega European Masters, he would become the first player to achieve the feat since Seve Ballesteros in 1977-78.
• One of the 14 players to shoot an official 60 since The European Tour’s first season in 1972, was Jamie Spence, in winning the 1992 European Masters. Beginning the final round ten shots behind the third round leader, Colin Montgomerie, Spence compiled a 12 under par score of 60, to tie Anders Forsbrand after 72 holes, before winning at the second extra play-off hole. This represents the largest final round winning comeback in European Tour history. This was since equalled by Paul Lawrie at The 1999 Open Championship.
• Jamie Spence in 1992 is one of only three players to win a European Tour event, while shooting 60 in the final 18 holes. The other two were Ian Woosnam (1990 Torras Monte Carlo Open) and Rafael Cabrera-Bello (2009 Austrian Golf Open).
• The Omega European Masters, staged at Crans-sur-Sierre, has the distinction of being the only venue to hold a European Tour event in every season since 1972. The 2013 edition will be the 42nd. Indeed the venue has hosted the tournament every year it has been played since 1939.
• The Omega European Masters is the only European Tour event staged in Europe which is jointly-sanctioned. The tournament has become part of the Asian Tour schedule since 2008.
• Mads Vibe-Hastrup’s albatross in the 2008 Omega European Masters was the fifth in the event since The European Tour’s first season in 1972. This tournament jointly holds the record for most albatrosses with five, along with The Open Championship.
•Chinese amateur, Ye Wo-cheng made European Tour history at this year’s Volvo China Open. At aged 12 years and 242 days he became the youngest player to participate in a European Tour event. This week’s Omega European Masters will see him become the second youngest as well, aged 13 years and three days.
