Thomas Bjørn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Thomas Bjørn | |
|---|---|
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Thomas Bjørn |
| Born | 18 February 1971 Silkeborg, Denmark |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 88 kg (190 lb; 13.9 st) |
| Nationality |  Denmark |
| Residence | Silkeborg, Denmark; Wentworth, Surrey, England |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1993 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour (joined 1996) |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 9 (tied 23rd all time) |
| Japan Golf Tour | 2 |
| Challenge Tour | 4 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| The Masters | T18: 2002 |
| U.S. Open | T22: 2001 |
| Open Championship | T2: 2000, 2003 |
| PGA Championship | T2: 2005 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1996 |
| Challenge Tour Rankings winner |
1995 |
Thomas Bjørn (born 18 February 1971) is Denmark's most successful professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Bjørn played on the Challenge Tour from 1993 to 1995. He then made an immediate impact on the European Tour in his first season, finishing tenth on the 1996 Order of Merit. He has won nine tournaments on the European Tour and has finished in the top ten on the Order of Merit five times with a best finish of fifth in 2000. He has come close to winning a major championship at the 2003 Open Championship when he was in the lead with 4 holes to play before a slump handed victory to Ben Curtis and at the U.S. PGA Championship in 2005, when he tied for the lead before finishing as runner-up to Phil Mickelson in a second-place tie with Steve Elkington.
Bjørn was a member of the winning European Ryder Cup teams in 1997 and 2002. He made the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for one week in 2001 after a second place finish at The Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.[1][2]
Bjørn's last name is sometimes written Björn or Bjorn outside Denmark. The Danish (and Norwegian) letter 'ø' represents approximately the same sound as 'ö' in German and Swedish. Literally translated, his surname means bear in Danish.
In 2007, Bjørn was elected chairman of the European Tour's tournament committee.
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[edit] 2006 Ryder Cup controversy
In September 2006 Bjørn was left out of the Ryder Cup team to face the United States later that month by captain Ian Woosnam, prompting him to describe his relationship with Woosnam as "completely dead".
The following day Bjørn apologized to Woosnam who accepted it. He was fined a 'substantial sum' believed to be in the region of €10,000 by the European Tour.[3]
The European team won against the US team 18.5 to 9.5, one of the largest victories in the history of the Ryder Cup, with Lee Westwood, who was chosen over Bjørn, scoring 4 points.
[edit] Professional wins (15)
[edit] European Tour wins (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Sep 1996 | Loch Lomond World Invitational | -11 (70-68-69-70=277) | 1 stroke |  Jean Van de Velde |
| 2 | 26 Apr 1998 | Peugeot Open de Espana | -21 68-67-66-66=267) | 1 stroke |  Greg Chalmers,  José María Olazábal |
| 3 | 1 Feb 1998 | Heineken Classic | -8 (70-68-68-74=280) | 1 stroke |  Ian Woosnam |
| 4 | 17 Oct 1999 | Sarazen World Open | -15 (66-69-70-68=273) | 2 strokes |  Paolo Quirici,  Katsuyoshi Tomori |
| 5 | 22 Aug 2000 | BMW International Open | -20 (69-93-69-67=268) | 3 strokes |  Bernhard Langer |
| 6 | 4 Mar 2001 | Dubai Desert Classic | -22 (64-66-67-69=266) | 2 strokes |  Pádraig Harrington,  Tiger Woods |
| 7 | 1 Sep 2002 | BMW International Open | -24 (68-64-66-66=264) | 4 strokes |  John Bickerton, Bernhard Langer |
| 8 | 15 May 2005 | Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters | -6 (73-68-73-68=282) | Playoff | Brian Davis, David Howell |
| 9 | 21 May 2006 | Irish Open | -5 (78-66-67-72=283) | 1 stroke | Paul Casey |
[edit] Challenge Tour wins (4)
- 1995 Coca-Cola Open, C*Esbjerg Danish Closed, Interlaken Open, Himmerland Open
[edit] Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
[edit] Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open | DNP | T68 | T25 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T9 | T30 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | T45 | CUT | T70 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T28 | CUT | T18 | DNP | CUT | T25 | T32 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | T46 | T22 | T37 | CUT | CUT | T52 | T48 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T2 | CUT | T8 | T2 | CUT | CUT | T41 | T53 |
| PGA Championship | 3 | T63 | CUT | CUT | DNP | T2 | CUT | T62 |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
[edit] Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship | R32 | R16 | DNP | DNP | R64 | R32 | R64 | DNP | R64 |
| CA Championship | T59 | T40 | NT1 | T27 | T28 | 2 | WD | T41 | T11 |
| Bridgestone Invitational | DNP | T10 | T31 | T15 | T61 | DNS | 18 | T18 | DNP |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
DNS = Did not start
WD = Withdrew
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
[edit] Professional team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1997 (winners), 2002 (winners)
- World Cup (representing Denmark): 1996, 1997, 2001
- Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2000 (winners), 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 (non-playing captain)
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thomas Bjørn |
- Profile on the European Tour's official site
- Results and stats on PGA Tour's official site
- Results in ranking events over the last two years from the Official World Golf Ranking site
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