"It wasn't easy" - An emotional Matt Wallace fights back tears after his winning the Omega European Masters

Matt Wallace finally lifted the trophy on the DP World Tour at the 2024 Omega European Masters on Sunday, September 8, after a long wait of six years. He last won on the European Tour at the Made in Denmark in 2018 by defeating Steven Brown, Jonathan Thomson, and Lee Westwood in a playoff.

He faced a tough playoff battle at the Omega European Masters once again, against Alfredo Garcia Heredia, to win his fifth European Tour event.

Matt Wallace entered the DP World Tour event's Sunday round with a big lead of four strokes, but at the end of the final 18 holes, he tied with Heredia at 11-under. It was a tough competition, but despite the challenges, the one-time PGA Tour champion seized victory.

The win meant a lot for the Englishman, and he couldn't hold back his tears after securing the title. While speaking to the media, Matt Wallace said (via DP World Tour X account):

"It wasn't easy, I felt a score was out there, just couldn't get anything going. I kept pushing and pushing, but great play from Alfredo to tie it up on the 18th. But that was some good focus from me today. I could have easily lost the lead at various stages over the last two days but I stuck at it. That's me, that's Matt Wallace golf right there."

With this win, Wallace topped the 2025 European Ryder Cup standings and is now the top contender to earn automatic qualification for the biennial team event next year. He expressed excitement ahead of the prestigious tournament and, adding to his statement, said:

"I work hard, Ryder Cup, let's go."

Alfredo Garcia Heredia settled for second place, followed by Andrew Johnston. Jason Scrivener tied for fourth place with Cedric Gugler. Alex Fitzpatrick was in fifth place after the third round, but he shot a 68 in the finale, slipping down one position and finishing in a tie for sixth with Joost Luiten at 7-under.

It was a moving day for Rikuya Hoshino, who carded a 65 on Sunday, leaping up 13 positions to secure the T8 position alongside Henrik Norlander, Casey Jarvis, and Guido Migliozzi.

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A look into Matt Wallace's performance at Omega European Masters

Wallace started on a good note and carded pars on the first four holes but then shot a birdie on the fifth to give him a decent start to the first round. He then shot two more birdies on the front nine on the seventh and eighth holes. He played a bogey-free round, carding six birdies in total for the first round, and scored 6-under 64.

The momentum carried into the second round, and he again shot another phenomenal bogey-free round with eight birdies — five on the front nine and three on the back nine — for a round of 62.

Even after an amazing start, Wallace struggled in the third round, shooting 3-over 73 with six bogeys and three birdies, followed by a finale of even-par 70. He shot two bogeys and two birdies on Sunday.