Lawrence Leads European Masters by Two After Bogey-Free 36

Thriston Lawrence leads the Omega European Masters by two shots after playing the first 36 holes at Crans-sur-Sierre without a bogey. The two-time champion followed an opening 64 with a second-round 63 to reach 13 under par, two clear of Nacho Elvira and Jeremy Paul.

How did Lawrence build the lead?

Lawrence made seven birdies in his second round and needed only one rescue shot, holing out from a greenside bunker at the 5th for par before playing his last four holes level. It is his best 36-hole start at the tournament he has already won twice, in 2022 and 2025.

Elvira shot a bogey-free 62 in the second round, the low round of the week, with four straight birdies on his back nine. Paul, playing his tournament debut, recovered from two early bogeys with a closing 29 that included a chip-in eagle at the par-5 15th. Keita Nakajima also went bogey-free for a 63 and sits alone in fourth at 10 under.

Who missed the cut at 3 under?

The cut fell at 3 under par, a low number for a par-70 course that sits above 1,500 meters in the Swiss Alps. Nicolai Højgaard missed the weekend at 3 over, as did Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the 2010 champion, who was playing his 36th appearance at Crans-Montana weeks before turning 63. Jorge Campillo, Connor Syme and Ryan Peake also went home.

Harry Hall reached 10 under through nine holes before a hip injury disrupted his round; three closing bogeys left him at 7 under, tied with Swiss player Joel Girrbach for the low finish among home players. Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed is also at 7 under, while Sergio García shot 63 on Friday to join him. Matt Wallace, the 2024 champion, sits at 6 under.

Thirty-six holes without a bogey is harder to repeat on Sunday than a two-shot cushion is to protect.

What record is Lawrence chasing?

Lawrence has already won at Crans-Montana in 2022 and 2025. A third title would make him only the second player, after Seve Ballesteros, to win the European Masters three times since the tournament joined the DP World Tour schedule in 1972. Ballesteros won it in 1977, 1978 and 1989. Lawrence, 29, would also become the sixth three-time champion in the event's 103-year history.

His 2025 win came at 22 under, a tournament aggregate record, after he opened the final round with three straight bogeys and answered with an eagle at the sixth. The event carries 5,000 Race to Dubai points and 1,500 Ryder Cup points this week.