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Welcome to the Free Drop 5-Minute World Tour, where we get you caught up on the week that was in professional golf.
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Competition Results
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Professional Golf
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DP World Tour: Lawrence a European Master once again
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Photo credit: DP World Tour/X
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Thriston Lawewnce successfully defended his European Masters title at Crans-sur Sierre Golf Club, producing a scintillating 8-under 62 in the final round before defeating Paul Casey with a birdie at the fourth extra-hole.
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Casey began the day ahead by three shots after tremendous rounds of 67, 64 and 63 - primed to capture a 16th DP World Tour title.
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Lawrence was a distant six shots back through three rounds. He lived up to his billing as a two-time winner of the event as he birdied four of his first seven holes on Sunday. He kept his tally ticking on the back-nine with three birdies every other hole from the 10th.
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Casey made a shaky start. Though he canceled out a bogey at the 3rd with a birdie at the next, a double-bogey at the 6th pegged him back once more. A bogey at the 8th was sandwiched between two birdies as he turned in 1-over par and with work to be done.
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He was equal to the task as he collected four birdies in five holes from the 11th to right the ship. Up ahead, Lawrence wasn't quite finished either as he birdied his penultimate hole.
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Casey stood on the 72nd tee a shot to the good and as the only player to birdie 18 each of the first three days. His fortunes did a 180 and a weak approach from the right rough cost him a bogey and the chance for a win in regulation.
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When opportunity knocked in the playoff at both the second and third trips down the 18th, Casey was unable to answer the call on either occassion, missing an 8 footer at the second extra hole and a 5 footer at the third extra hole.
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On the 4th playoff hole, Lawrence holed a lengthy left-to-right snaking putt to secure his sixth DP World Tour title.
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HotelPlanner Tour: Gough grabs second win of 2026
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Photo credit: HotelPlanner Tour/X
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England's John Gough notched a second win of the 2026 season when he claimed the Rosa Challenge by a single shot, closing with a 3-under 67 at Rosa Golf Club.
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Gough shot 6-under 64s in rounds one and three while a 73 in the second meant he began the last day in a share of top-spot with Ireland's Mark Power.
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A double-bogey on each nine in the final round put paid to Power's title aspirations as he closed with a 74.
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Gough meanwhile cashed in on his share of pole position. Even-par through 10 holes, Gough found the spark he needed with birdies at the 11th, 13th and 14th.
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Four closing pars ensured Gough withstood the threat posed by Andrew Wilson who parred his final five holes in a 67 of his own.
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Amateur Golf
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Walker Cup: GB&I stage comeback for the ages at Lahinch
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Photo credit: Walker Cup/Facebook
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In 2012, the Europeans staged a remarkable comeback at the Ryder Cup in what quickly became known as the Miracle at Medinah. After the remarkable comeback engineered by Great Britain and Ireland which saw them claim 7 singles points on the final day against the USA at Lahinch to prevail 13.5-12.5, better writers than I need to conceive the 2026 equivalent.
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Featuring two sessions of Foursomees and two Singles, with 26 points on offer in all, there was little top separate the teams after the opening day.
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In Saturday's foursomes, GB&I made a strong start with a 2.5-1.5 victory. In the Singles, a format that has been unkind to the hosts for the better part of a decade, they managed a 4-4 session. Particularly noteworthy was Luke Poulter, Ryder Cup legend Ian's son, earning a 3&1 win over American star Miles Russell.
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The sun rose on Sunday and shone brightly on the USA. A clean sweep of the four foursomes matches, two wins by 4&3 and the other two by 3&2 gave the Americans the lift they needed.
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Deflated, GB&I returned their team room knowing they'd need 7 of the remaining 10 singles points to win.
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One man who would've believed was Poulter, his Dad being an integral part of the Miracle at Medinah.
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In the second match out, he delivered a 3&1 dismantling of Ethan Fang to continue the momentum of Stuart Graham's 2&1 win in the top game. GB's Jack Whaley routed William Jennings 8&7 and slowly the improbable became a distinct possibility.
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Josiah Gilbert beat Sam Easterbrook while Ryder Cowan closed out a 3&2 win over GB&I's Ben Bolton to edge USA ahead once more.
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Of the remaining three games in play, GB&I needed 2.5 points.
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First Elliot Baker held on for a 1-Up win over Stewart Hagestad who to that point had an 8-1 singles record in the event. Connor Graham then salvaged a half against Russell by winning the 18th .
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In a nip-and-tuck anchor match between England's Josh Hill and World no.3 amateur Tyler Watts where neither led by more than 1-up, the match came to the 18th.
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At the par-5 18th, Watts found the green in three with an approach to 20-foot. Facing a greenside trap shot, Hill played a remarkable shot under the circumstances to 4-feet.
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Watts narrowly missed before Hill stepped up, wasting no time before nervelessly rolling the ball home and securing the most improbable of victories for GB&I.
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Fun Facts & Scary Stats
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- Thriston Lawrence joins Seve Ballesteros as the only three-time winner of the European Masters.
- 17 of Thriston Lawrence's last 20 rounds at the European Masters have been in the 60s.
- At 71 years & 261 days old, Bob Charles is the oldest player to make a cut in DP World Tour history when he achieved the feat in the 2008 New Zealand Open (Credit europeantour.com).
- Jack Whaley's 8&7 victory was the largest margin of victory by a GB&Iplayer in the Walker Cup
- Six players have won on their DP World Tour debut (credit: europeantour.com).
- Ernie Els made 82 consecutive DP World Tour cuts between 2000 and 2007 (credit: europeantour.com.
- Paul Casey spurned the chance to break Lee Westwood's record of the biggest gap between first and latest wins - 23 years, 168 days.
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