Jordan Smith lost his chance of winning the 2024 Omega European Masters following a disastrous shot during the third round on Saturday, September 7. Following two impressive rounds of 68 and 69, the Englishman was a strong contender for the title. However, in the third round, a quadruple bogey caused him to drop 14 positions on the leaderboard and find himself in 17th place.
He received a two-stroke penalty on the par-4 12th hole after his ball landed in a penalty area. Though there has been no official word on why he was handed the penalty, reports indicate that Smith’s initial drop resulted in the ball landing outside the relief area, and when he attempted a second drop, the ball again fell outside the designated area.As a result, the 31-year-old was given a two-stroke penalty, which impacted his leaderboard position, leaving him nine strokes behind the leader at 2-under par.
Meanwhile, Matt Wallace stayed in the lead after the third round, despite shooting a 73 on Saturday. His impressive 62 in the second round helped him gain momentum, and even with a less-than-stellar third round, Wallace managed to hold onto the lead in the tournament.
“A day to forget” – Jordan Smith after his third-round performance at the Omega European Masters 2024
Jordan Smith opened up about his third-round performance at the 2024 Omega European Masters, sharing his disappointment and evident frustration at some of the decisions taken by the organizers. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the 31-year-old called his outing on Saturday at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club a “day to forget.”
Smith wrote:
“A day to forget but a day for the @DPWorldTour refs to forget. The quickest these greens have ever been by far but they still decide to use the same pins as old plus with high winds today. Even with the perfect conditions yesterday a few of the pins were ridiculous.”
Smith began his third round at the 2024 Omega European Masters with a bogey on the second hole but bounced back with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes. He had a strong start on the front nine but struggled on the back nine.After shooting a bogey on the 10th, he recorded a quadruple bogey on the 12th. He managed just one birdie on the back nine and closed with two bogeys and a double bogey on the 17th, finishing the round at 7-over-par 77. Smith had a solid performance in the first two rounds, shooting 66 and 65, but his third round has hurt his chances in the tournament.
The 2024 Omega European Masters will conclude on Sunday, September 8. The players will tee off for the final round at 1:15 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. BST), with Rhys Enoch and Ryo Hisatsune taking the first shot of the day.Smith will tee off in a group with Darren Fichardt and Richie Ramsay at 5:19 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, tournament leader Matt Wallace will tee off at 6:30 a.m. ET in a group with Andrew Johnston and Alfredo Garcia-Heredia.
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