Björn Åkesson
| Björn Åkesson | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Åkesson in 2012 | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Björn Oskar Ingemar Åkesson | ||||
| Born | 4 January 1989 Malmö, Sweden | ||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb; 12.0 st) | ||||
| Sporting nationality |  Sweden | ||||
| Residence | Malmö, Sweden | ||||
| Career | |||||
| Turned professional | 2009 | ||||
| Current tour(s) | European Tour | ||||
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour Nordic Golf League | ||||
| Professional wins | 5 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| Sunshine Tour | 1 | ||||
| Challenge Tour | 1 | ||||
| Other | 4 | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Björn Oskar Ingemar Åkesson (born 4 January 1989) is a Swedish professional golfer that has played on the European Tour. He won the 2023 Nordic Golf League Order of Merit and the 2024 NMB Championship in South Africa.
Amateur career
[edit]Åkesson had a successful youth career and played for the Swedish National Team from the age of 15. In 2006, he was runner-up at the Boys Amateur Championship and became the youngest ever winner of the Duncan Putter at Southerndown Golf Club in Wales, until the event was won by 15-year-old Tim Harry in 2013.[1]
In 2007, he won the Polo Golf Junior Classic at the Reunion Resort in the United States.[2] He won the Junior Golf World Cup in Japan together with Jesper Kennegård, Daniel Jennevret and Pontus Widegren, finishing in on the podium individually.[3]
Åkesson made his debut on the European Tour in 2006 after winning the amateur qualifying tournament for the EnterCard Scandinavian Masters.[4]
He played for the European teams in the Jacques Léglise Trophy, St Andrews Trophy and the Bonallack Trophy at Valderrama Golf Club, where he won two points in foursomes against Danny Lee.[5]
Professional career
[edit]Åkesson turned professional in 2009 and joined the Nordic Golf League In 2010, he secured his maiden title at the Gefle Open and finished 2nd in the season rankings to earn promotion to the Challenge Tour.
On the 2011 Challenge Tour Åkesson tied for 3rd at the Kärnten Golf Open in Austria. He finished ranked 54th in 2011 and 35th in 2012. At the end of 2012, he earned his European Tour card through Q School.[6][7]
In 2013, his rookie European Tour season, his best finish was a 5th place at the Tshwane Open in South Africa and he finished 143rd in the ranking.
Åkesson spent 2014 and 2015 on the Challenge Tour. In 2014, he recorded four top-6 finishes and in 2015 he was tied 3rd at the Turkish Airlines Challenge and finished runner-up at the Foshan Open in China, two strokes behind winner Borja Virto of Spain, after finding water on the final hole. He finished 6th in the season ranking and earned promotion to the 2016 European Tour. He enjoyed had a good start to 2016 with a tie for third place in the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club in South Africa, his career best finish on the European Tour.[8]
Åkesson took a break from touring in 2017 to become a teaching pro.[9] In 2023, he staged a comeback in earnest and won three tournaments to top the 2023 Nordic Golf League Order of Merit.[10] On his return to the Challenge Tour in 2024, he won the NMB Championship a stroke ahead of England's Lee Slattery.[11]
Amateur wins
[edit]- 2006 Duncan Putter
- 2007 TourGolf Open, Polo Golf Junior Classic
Source:[12]
Professional wins (5)
[edit]Challenge Tour wins (1)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 Feb 2024 | NMB Championship1 | −18 (63-67-68=198)* | 1 stroke |  Lee Slattery
|
*Note: The 2024 NMB Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to strong winds.
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
Nordic Golf League wins (4)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Aug 2010 | Gefle Open | −15 (63-69-69=201) | 4 strokes | Benny Ahlenbäck, Peter Hedblom
|
| 2 | 2 Jun 2023 | UNICEF Championship | −3 (69-73-71=213) | 1 stroke |  Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen,  Andreas Halvorsen, Per Längfors
|
| 3 | 16 Jun 2023 | Greatdays Trophy | −14 (70-64-62=196) | Playoff | Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen
|
| 4 | 28 Sep 2023 | Destination Gotland Open | −15 (65-66-65=195) | 2 strokes | Per Längfors
|
Team appearances
[edit]Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 2005, 2006[13]
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Sweden): 2006
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 2006 (winners)
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Sweden): 2007, 2008
- Junior Golf World Cup (representing Sweden): 2007 (winners)
- Bonallack Trophy (representing Europe): 2008 (winners)
- St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 2008
See also
[edit]- 2012 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2015 Challenge Tour graduates
- 2024 Challenge Tour graduates
References
[edit]- ^ "Southerndown – the Home of The Duncan Putter". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "Polo Golf Junior Classic – Boys Past Champions". American Junior Golf Association. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "2007 Junior Golf World Cup". Golfdata. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Amatörkval EnterCard Scandinavian Masters". Golfdata. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Bonallack Trophy Results". EGA. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Impressive Parry romps to Q-School win". European Tour. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ "Facts and figures about the 2012 Q-School graduates". European Tour. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ "2016 Joburg Open". European Tour. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Nilsson, Mattias (13 May 2021). "Björn Åkesson tillbaka: "Får se vad som händer"" [Björn Åkesson back: "We'll see what happens"]. Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Åkesson secures Challenge Tour return through Nordic Golf League". European Tour. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Richter, Fredrik (26 February 2024). "Åkessons sensationella seger i Sydafrika". Golfbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Björn Åkesson". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "European Boys' Team Championship". European Golf Association. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
External links
[edit]- Björn Åkesson at the European Tour official site
- Björn Åkesson at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Björn Åkesson at the Golfdata official site (in Swedish)