Simon Thornton

Simon Thornton
Simon Thornton
	Thornton at the 2010 KLM Open
Personal information
Born	18 March 1977 (age 46); Bradford, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality	Ireland
Residence	Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Spouse	Ciara (m. 2004)
Career
Turned professional	2005
Former tour(s)	European Tour ; Challenge Tour ; PGA EuroPro Tour
Professional wins	7
Number of wins by tour
European Tour	1
Challenge Tour	1
Other	6

Last updated March 12, 2024

Simon Thornton (born 18 March 1977) is an Irish professional golfer. He won the 2013 Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open on the European Tour.

Career

Thornton was a late starter to golf, only taking up the sport in his late teens and turning professional at the advanced age of 28.^[1] He began as an assistant club professional at Royal County Down, playing in regional Irish PGA events, where his achievements included recording four straight monthly wins with the Ulster Golfers Alliance.^[2] He began playing on the Challenge Tour in 2009, finishing 51st before earning his European Tour card at qualifying school at the end of the season. His debut season on the full tour was unsuccessful, and he returned to the Challenge Tour for 2011, finishing in 12th position to secure a quick return to the European Tour. In June 2013 won the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open in France, beating Tjaart van der Walt at the first hole on a sudden-death playoff.^[3]^[4] His win gave him an exemption of the European Tour until the end of 2014. 2014 was, however, a poor season and in 2015 he played a mixture of European Tour and Challenge Tour events but failed to retain his card on either tour.

Professional wins (7)

European Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	16 Jun 2013	Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open ¹	−5 (74-70-65-70=279)	Playoff	Tjaart van der Walt

¹Dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2013	Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open	Tjaart van der Walt	Won with par on first extra hole

Challenge Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	16 Jun 2013	Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open ¹	−5 (74-70-65-70=279)	Playoff	Tjaart van der Walt

¹Dual-ranking event with the European Tour

Challenge Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2013	Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open	Tjaart van der Walt	Won with par on first extra hole

PGA EuroPro Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	20 Jun 2008	Bovey Castle Championship	−6 (70-68-66=204)	4 strokes	Noel Fox, Martin LeMesurier
2	20 Aug 2021	NI Masters	−14 (60-72-67=199)	2 strokes	David Langley

Other wins (4)

2005 Ulster PGA Championship
2011 Irish PGA Championship
2018 Irish PGA Championship
2020 Irish PGA Championship

Team appearances

Professional

PGA Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 2022

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References

↑ Keogh, Brian (13 November 2008). "Thornton close to Tour dream". Irish Golf Desk. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
↑ Edenmore Golf Club Archived November 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
↑ "Ireland's Simon Thornton claims first ever European Tour title". Irish Independent. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
↑ "Irish golfer Simon Thornton dedicates triumph to late dad on Father's Day". The Score. 16 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.

External links

Simon Thornton at the European Tour official site
Simon Thornton at the Official World Golf Ranking official site

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[1] Keogh, Brian (13 November 2008). "Thornton close to Tour dream". Irish Golf Desk. Retrieved 18 June 2013.

[2] Edenmore Golf Club Archived November 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

[3] "Ireland's Simon Thornton claims first ever European Tour title". Irish Independent. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.

[4] "Irish golfer Simon Thornton dedicates triumph to late dad on Father's Day". The Score. 16 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.

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