Joel Sjöholm

Joel Sjöholm (born 21 February 1985) is a Swedish professional golfer, who plays on the European Tour. In 2017 he won the Italian Challenge Open, his first win on the Challenge Tour.

Joel Sjöholm
Personal information
Full nameJoel Nils Patricio Sjöholm
Born (1985-02-21) 21 February 1985
Santiago, Chile
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb; 15.0 st)
Nationality Sweden
ResidenceGothenburg, Sweden
SpouseChristina Sjöholm
Children2
Career
CollegeGeorgia State University
Turned professional2008
Current tour(s)European Tour
Former tour(s)Challenge Tour
Professional wins1
Number of wins by tour
Challenge Tour1

Early life

He was born in Chile and was adopted by a Swedish family when three months old.[1] He started playing the game at young age at Skaftö Golf Club in Fiskebäckskil, on the small Swedish west coast island Skaftö with 1,400 inhabitants. Other famous members, spending a lot of time there, during the summer seasons, were future Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn, five-time European Tour winner Barry Lane and, a few years later, the Kinhult siblings; future European Tour winner Marcus and world amateur number one Frida.[2]

In 2000, Sjöholm won his age level category (15) at the unofficial Swedish Youth Championship, Bankboken Cup, following in the footsteps of former winners of the same category, like Magnus Persson Atlevi, Peter Hedblom and Alexander Norén.[3]

Amateur career

Sjöholm opted to play college golf in the United States, spending four years at Georgia State University, where he was one of the most successful golfers in their history. He won two individual intercollegiate titles, was named a third team all-American in 2007, and ended his college career in 2008 ranked fifth nationally.[4]

He finished second at the 2007 individual European Amateur Championship in Berlin, Germany, losing in a three-hole playoff.[5]

Professional career

He turned professional in 2008, and joined the Challenge Tour in Europe, where he played for the following three seasons. He was runner up at the 2008 SWALEC Wales Challenge and the Allianz Golf Open de Lyon and Roma Golf Open in 2010.

In 2010, he had six top-five finishes on the Challenge Tour, the most of any player, and graduated to the European Tour in twelfth place, where he played for the next three seasons. His best performances were a fourth place in the 2012 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and a tie for third in the 2011 Sicilian Open, which saw him rise to 228th on the Official World Golf Ranking.[6]

During the 2019 Challenge Tour season, he finished tied second at the Challenge de España and second at the Made in Denmark Challenge, finishing the season 23rd on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit Road To Mallorca.[7]

On 1 December 2019 (2020 season), he finished solo 2nd at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club, Malelane, South Africa. This event was co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. Sjöholm looked set to win but was beaten only by Pablo Larrazábal, who birdied three of the last four holes to claim the title by one shot.[8]

In July 2020, Sjöholm gained attention for a more comedic moment during the Hero Open, as he used a small boat to take himself towards a small island in the middle of a lake to play his shot where his ball had finished.[9]

Personal life

Sjöholm is married to Christina and has two children. He resides in Gothenburg and represents Hills Golf and Sports Club.[10]

Amateur wins
  • 2007 Rosén Open (Skaftö, Sweden),[11] Club Glove Intercollegiate
  • 2008 John Hayt Intercollegiate

Professional wins (1)

Challenge Tour wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 16 Jul 2017 Italian Challenge Open −24 (67-62-66-65=260) 4 strokes Chase Koepka, Bradley Neil

Challenge Tour playoff record (0–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2008 SWALEC Wales Challenge Michael McGeady Lost to par on second extra hole
2 2010 Roma Golf Open Andreas Hartø Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Team appearances

Amateur

gollark: If a trillion bacteria want some sugar a human is eating, say.
gollark: What about when those things conflict between entities?
gollark: And has all the bad things like "kill suffering things".
gollark: > suffering is bad. anything which suffers should have its suffering lessened where possible.is basically what negative utilitarianism is, no?
gollark: Negative utilitarianism seems kind of bee, and your definition of "bad" isn't objective fact (is-ought thing).

See also

References
  1. 19th Hole Report
  2. "Skaftö – årets juniorklubb". Svensk Golf. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. Jansson, Anders (2004). Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The Great Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. p. 227. ISBN 91-86818007.
  4. Joel Sjoholm - Georgia State Athletics
  5. EM-silver till Sjöholm (in Swedish) Svensk Golf magazine, p. 117
  6. "Joel Sjöholm". OWGR. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  7. "Joel Sjöholm – Results". European Tour.
  8. "Alfred Dunhill Championship – Results". European Tour.
  9. "WATCH: Joel Sjoholm Takes Boat To Play Shot During Hero Open". Golf Monthly. 3 August 2020.
  10. "Joel Sjöholm". Hills Golf & Sports Club. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  11. http://www.golfdata.se/guide/Profil_startsida.asp?nr=13492
  12. Jansson, Anders (2004). Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The Great Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. p. 201. ISBN 91-86818007.
  13. "European Youths Team Championship". European Golf Association.
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