Ove Sellberg

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Ove Sellberg
Personal information
Full nameOve Bertil Sellberg
Born (1959-10-15) 15 October 1959 (age 65)
Stockholm, Sweden
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb; 12.0 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Residence Stockholm, Sweden
PartnerMimi Lundberg
Career
Turned professional1982
Former tour(s) European Tour
Professional wins6
Highest ranking 98 (4 June 1989) [1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour3
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament DNP
PGA Championship DNP
U.S. Open DNP
The Open Championship T32: 1985
Achievements and awards
Swedish Golfer of the Year 1986

Ove Bertil Sellberg (born 15 October 1959) is a Swedish professional golfer who played on the European Tour. He was the first Swede to win a European Tour event.

Contents

Amateur career

In 1959, Sellberg was born in Stockholm. He began playing golf, 10-years-old, at Ågesta Golf Club. At 16 years of age, he lost in the final of the 1976 Swedish Junior Match-play Championship, but won the tournament three years later, when the format was changed to stroke-play. [2]

In 1981, as a 21-year-old amateur, he took part in the Spanish Open on the European Tour and finished tied 24th. [2]

He was a member of the tied second-placed Sweden amateur team at the Eisenhower Trophy in Lausanne, Switzerland, in September 1982, himself finishing tied 6th individually. [3]

Professional career

A sponsor agreement with car manufacturer Saab Automobile made it possible for Sellberg and two of his teammates from the 1982 Eisenhower Trophy, Magnus Persson and Krister Kinell, to turn professional and form Team Saab, granted support and financial possibilities to compete on the European Tour. He successfully progressed through the 1982 European Tour Qualifying School, at La Manga, Spain, in November, finishing tied 5th and earned his first pay check.

He played on the European Tour through most of the 1980s and 1990s, twice finishing in the top-20 of the Order of Merit, in 1986 and 1987. He won three tournaments on the tour during a five-year-span.

When he defeated Howard Clark in the final of the 1986 Epson Grand Prix of Europe Match Play Championship at St. Pierre Golf & Country Club in Chepstow, South Wales, Sellberg became the first Swede to win a European Tour event. He had further wins in the 1989 Open Renault de Baleares on Majorca, Spain and the 1990 Peugeot-Trends Belgian Open at Royal Waterloo GC, Belgium.

Sellberg represented Sweden four times in the World Cup, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989, with some success. The team finished 11th, 9th, 7th and 3rd, respectively, every time an all-time best for Sweden. In 1987, Sellberg finished tied 7th in the individual competition. He represented Sweden in the Dunhill Cup five years in a row.

Sellberg was CEO of PGA Sweden National from 2008 to 2016, running the golf resort south of Bara, east of Malmö, Sweden.

Awards and honors

Amateur wins

Sources: [2] [6] [7]

Professional wins (6)

European Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
111 May 1986 Epson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay Championship 3 and 2 Flag of England.svg Howard Clark
213 Mar 1989 Open Renault de Baleares −9 (68-71-69-71=279)2 strokes Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Mark McNulty, Flag of Spain.svg José María Olazábal,
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Philip Parkin
313 May 1990 Peugeot-Trends Belgian Open −16 (68-66-67-71=272)4 strokes Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Ian Woosnam

Swedish Golf Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
12 Jun 1985 Martini Cup −7 (76-68-69-68=281)4 strokes Flag of Sweden.svg Krister Kinell, Flag of Sweden.svg Magnus Persson
218 Sep 1988 Esab Open −11 (68-68-69=205)6 strokes Flag of Sweden.svg Jesper Parnevik

Other wins (1)

Playoff record

Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 1989 Teleannons Grand Prix Flag of Sweden.svg Magnus Grankvist, Flag of Sweden.svg Mikael Karlsson,
Flag of Sweden.svg Mats Lanner
Lanner won with eagle on third extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament1985198619871988
The Open Championship T32CUTT57CUT

Note: Sellberg only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

References

  1. "Week 22 1989 Ending 4 June 1989" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 2004. pp. 41, 224.
  3. "VM, Bragden i Lausanne". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 7. September 1982. pp. 36–39.
  4. Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 2004. pp. 180, 182, 188, 196, 197, 283.
  5. "Golfens profiler". Swedish Golf Museum. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  6. "I siffror sett, nationellt". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 6. August 1981. p. 74.
  7. "I siffror sett, nationellt". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 7. August 1980. p. 77.
  8. 1 2 3 Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 2004. pp. 180, 182, 188, 196, 197, 283.
  9. Golf - Den Gröna Sporten [Golf - The green Sport] (in Swedish). 1979. p. 202.