The tears may yet come but for now Mike Lorenzo-Vera is “feeling great” about the prospect of a “perfect” setting for his farewell to professional golf at the Omega European Masters.
At 40, two decades on since joining the paid ranks, the Frenchman will this week bid adieu to the DP World Tour in his 285th and final start at Crans-sur-Sierre GC in Crans Montana.
A popular figure among fellow players, staff and fans alike, Lorenzo-Vera quietly announced his retirement from the sport in April but with the plan to play one last tournament in the Swiss mountains.
That moment has now come, and after a challenging period which saw him take an extended break from the game last year to protect his mental health, he is intent on enjoying every minute of his swansong.
"I am feeling great," he said on Tuesday.
"I have brought the family here – my kids and my mother are here, some friends are here as well. Great support, we are just here to enjoy it.
"The game is not too bad [too] apparently. I played pretty good golf yesterday so we will try to play until Sunday. That’s the principle [aim]."
A firm favourite among players around the world, this event carries extra poignancy for Lorenzo-Vera.
It was at the scenic venue in Switzerland a decade ago that he learned of his father Urbano’s death as he played at the Omega European Masters.
“It’s a very special week for me as I [was told [I’d] lost my Dad when I was on the first fairway here during the first round,” he said.
"Having my mother here is going to feel very special. Having my kids here is absolutely beautiful.
"[Even] Before it happened, everybody here has been absolutely fantastic to me. I have made great friends.
"I love the course, it is very tricky. You have to think about it. I don’t need to speak about the views as well."
Lorenzo-Vera, who plans to work in commercial golf days among other interests, is never far from making you laugh with his quick wit and amiable personality, adding “and I like melted cheese as well, so it’s perfect" referring to the traditional hearty Swiss Alps cuisine.
While it was back on home soil in 2003 that Lorenzo-Vera first got the taste of playing on the DP World Tour as an amateur, it was in 2008 that he played his first full season after claiming his sole HotelPlanner Tour title at the season-ending Grand Final to win the Order of Merit for 2007.
In his rookie season on the DP World Tour, he recorded the first of his five runner-up finishes in his career at the Volvo China Open.
There was then a ten-year wait for his next runner-up finish coming at the Rocco Forte Sicilian Open, a week after losing out in the final of GolfSixes.
But it was in 2019 that Lorenzo-Vera enjoyed his career-best season as he finished runner-up twice, in Qatar and Spain respectively, before pushing winner Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood the distance at the DP World Tour Championship to finish 19th on the Race to Dubai Rankings.
Another near miss followed a year later, again in Dubai, before a decline in form followed in the subsequent campaigns.
Asked to recall the highlights of his career, he said: “There is the final in Dubai [2019 DP World Tour Championship] when I could play some really good golf against the best players in the planet.
“I would have loved to win it but apparently Tommy and Jon Rahm didn’t want to let me go through with the putter.
“But still it was a very intense week. I managed to keep my level of golf really high, so this was my best week.
“I have a few other great memories like when Thomas Bjørn comes to me in Dubai and says it is time to try the clothing for the Ryder Cup. I was with Sergio trying on the clothes, so I was very proud of that even if I didn’t make the team.
“There have been plenty of other moments that have been fantastic as well. Some good French Opens, a really good US PGA. Plenty of friends, and I have met a lot of fantastic people.”
As he alludes to, Lorenzo-Vera’s career-best performance on the Major stage came in his Major debut at the US PGA Championship in 2019, finishing in a tie for 16th at Bethpage Black, venue for next month’s Ryder Cup.
But the challenges of travelling week to week took their toll, stepping away from the game after last year’s Barracuda Championship as he sought help from DP World Tour’s medical team amid psychological pressures.
While he returned to the Tour at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January for the first of four starts on the trot, he later made the decision to call time on his career with his openness about his troubles off the course a source of great admiration.
“I could have said my wrist hurts but it was just the brain that was hurting,” he reflected.
“It’s important [to talk], because I received a lot of messages saying what I said was what they were living. It just gives the advice to maybe speak to someone.
“I don’t know why but you can have a broken arm, but you can’t have a broken brain.
“It feels like a weakness, but I think on the contrary. If you have a broken brain, it is because you are very brave to push really hard.”
Now is only the time for positive thoughts though, with close friends Alexander Levy and Marcel Siem his two playing partners over the opening two rounds.
One last hurrah awaits.
