Paul Nilbrink
Paul Nilbrink (born 2 May 1971) is an England-born former Swedish professional golfer who represents Norway since 2005. He played on the Challenge Tour 1996–2008 and won the 1999 Volvo Finnish Open and the 2000 Norwegian Open.[1]
Paul Nilbrink | |||
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Personal information | |||
Born | Epsom, England | 2 May 1971||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
Nationality | |||
Residence | Haslum, Norway | ||
Career | |||
College | University of Central Florida | ||
Turned professional | 1996 | ||
Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour (1996–2008) Nordic Golf League EPD Tour | ||
Professional wins | 8 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
Challenge Tour | 2 | ||
Other | 6 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
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Career
Nilbrink was born in England and grew up in Belgium and Sweden. He had a late development in golf and had a handicap of 36 by age 12 , and 13 at age 15. He later studied for a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at the University of Central Florida in the United States.[2][3]
Nilbrink turned professional in 1996 and joined the Challenge Tour. His best finish this season was as semi-finalist at SM Match, and he finished the season Rookie of the Year on the PGA Sweden Order of Merit.[4]
The following year he fought an international match with the Swedish National Team in Hubbelrath, Germany, against Ireland, France and Germany.[4]
Nilbrink established himself as a regular player on the Challenge Tour and finished top-10 14 times, including winning the 1999 Volvo Finnish Open and the 2000 Norwegian Open. He came close to qualifying for the European Tour but missed the cut by 1 stroke, 3 times.[2]
Nilbrink, whose wife is Norwegian, relocated to Norway and took up Norwegian citizenship in late 2004, making him the only Norwegian with a real chance to qualify for the 2005 European Tour. At the qualifying tournament in Spain, he was in eighth place for a long time, but ultimately had to settle for a place outside the top 30, losing out on automatic entry to the Tour.[5] He tried again to qualify for the European Tour in 2006, with same result.[6]
Professional wins (8)
Challenge Tour wins (2)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 Jul 1999 | Volvo Finnish Open | –7 (69-72-68-72=281) | Playoff | |
2 | 20 Aug 2000 | Norwegian Open | −10 (70-66-70=206) | Playoff |
Challenge Tour playoff record (2–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1999 | Volvo Finnish Open | Won with par on third extra hole | |
2 | 2000 | Norwegian Open | Won with birdie on second extra hole Little eliminated by par on first hole |
Nordic Golf League wins (2)
- 2009 (2) Galvin Green Tour I, Galvin Green Tour II
EPD Tour wins (2)
- 2004 (2) EPD Tour Hohenpähl, EPD Tour Jakobsberg
References
- "Player: Paul Nilbrink". European Tour. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "Endelig norsk" (in Norwegian). Golfsiden.no. 23 December 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "The 2009–10 UCF Men's Golf Yearbook". UCF Knights.
- "Golf - Den stora sporten" (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "Slår seg opp mot Europa-toppen" (in Norwegian). Ostlendningen. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "En ny golfer er født" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "Paul Nilbrink Results" (in Swedish). Golfdata. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "Nilbrink vant i Polen" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
External links
- Paul Nilbrink at the European Tour official site
- Paul Nilbrink at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Paul Nilbrink at the Golfdata official site (in Swedish)