Swedish Golf Tour (women)

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Nordic Golf Tour
Most recent season or competition:
2025 Swedish Golf Tour (women)
Sport Golf
Founded1986
Founder Swedish Golf Federation and PGA of Sweden
First season 1986
CountriesFlag of Denmark.svg Denmark (2002–2024)
Flag of Finland.svg Finland (1998–2011)
Flag of Norway.svg Norway (2012–2020)
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Official website https://tournytt.se/tour/ahlsell-nordic-golf-tour

The Swedish Golf Tour for women, since 2022 known as the Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tour for women held in Sweden and neighboring countries since 1986.

Contents

Before the establishment of the Ladies European Tour (LET) development tour, LET Access Series (LETAS) in 2010, the tour was the first official feeder tour for the LET. [1] Starting in 2012 selected tournaments have been incorporated in the LETAS schedule, and since 2021, all scheduled tournaments.

The organization that runs the tour operate a corresponding men's Swedish Golf Tour, founded in 1984. The operating company, Svenska Golftourerna AB, was founded in 1988 jointly by the PGA of Sweden and the Swedish Golf Federation (SGF), to organize the two Swedish Golf Tours for men and women. Its first chairperson was Ola Öqvist. In 2018, the SGF became the sole owner and operator. [2]

History

At the beginning of 1979, Kärstin Ehrnlund became the first Swedish female tournament professional. The following year, Ehrnlund became the first Swedish winner on an international professional golf tour, when she won on the Ladies European Tour (LET) (at the time named the WPGA Tour) and by this showed the possibility for talented Swedish female golfers to turn playing professionals. [3]

The first professional tournament for women held in Sweden and also the first LET tournament in Sweden, was an invitational tournament named the Volvo International taking place at Albatross Golf Club in Gothenburg in 1980 and again in 1981.

At the annual meeting of the Swedish Golf Federation in March 1983, "open golf" was introduced, which meant that, from next year both amateurs and professionals were allowed to enter all domestic competitions, international amateur tournaments excluded. Non-PGA members with a licence, as well as PGA members, were allowed to receive prize money. The new and internationally unique rules, made it possible to transform the traditionally most important amateur tournaments in the country to professional tournaments, attractive to sponsors and players. [2]

The next Ladies European Tour tournament held in Sweden, took place at Mölle Golf Club in Mölle in 1984 and was named the Höganäs Ladies Open. [2]

The women's Swedish Golf Tour, designed to help Swedish golfers to reach the standard of play needed to qualify for the LET, was established in 1986, two years after the men's tour in the country. The women's tour consisted the first year of seven tournaments, two of them co-sanctioned with the Ladies' European Tour. Liselotte Neumann was the first Order-of-Merit winner, thanks to second-place finishes in both of the two co-sanctioned events. [2]

Official Feeder Tour to LET

In 2005, the tour became the first official feeder tour for the LET, with the two leading non-exempt players from the ranking gaining LET cards for the following season, and the remainder of the top ten exempted into the final stage of the LET Qualifying School. [4]

Women's European Satellite Tour

The Swedish and Spanish (known as the Banesto Tour at the time) tours did not initially feature their events on the LET Access Series which launched in 2010. Instead they launched their own regional development tour in 2011, which featured four events from each country, named the Women's European Satellite Tour (WEST). [5] [6] In 2012, the tour was folded into LETAS.

Nordic Golf Tour

For 2020, in cooperation between the Golf Federations of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, the Ladies' Nordic Golf Tour (NGT) was introduced, with its Order-of merit ranking named Road to Creekhouse Ladies Open, including eight tournaments in three countries, six of them to be co-sanctioned by LETAS. [1] This meant that the women's SGT remained, but on the level below the NGT.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the events outside Sweden were cancelled and the remaining Swedish events were removed from the 2020 LET Access Series (LETAS) schedule. Two of the five scheduled tournaments to be held in Sweden went ahead, but with a reduced purse. [7] [8]

From 2021, the Swedish Golf Tour was included in and synonymous with the Nordic Golf Tour, and the Nordic cooperation was abandoned except for an event in Denmark which remained on the schedule until 2024.

Sponsorship

The tour was named the Swedish Golf Tour 1986–1990, the Lancôme Tour 1991–1994, the Telia Infomedia Golf Tour 1995–1997, the Telia Tour 1998–2008, the SAS Masters Tour 2008–2009, the Nordea Tour 2010–2016 and the Swedish Golf Tour 2017–2020. [2] In 2021, the tour was renamed the Nordic Golf Tour, and known as the Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour from 2022 for sponsorship reasons. [9]

Tour nameYearsSponsor
Swedish Golf Tour1986–1990
Lancôme Tour1991–1994 Lancôme
Telia Infomedia Golf Tour1995–1997 Telia Company
Telia Tour1998–2008
SAS Masters Tour2008–2009 Scandinavian Airlines
Nordea Tour2010–2016 Nordea
Swedish Golf Tour2017–2020
Nordic Golf Tour2021
Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour2022– Ahlsell Group  [ sv ]

Order of Merit winners

YearWinnerCountryMoney (SEK)Points
2025 Ragga Kristinsdóttir Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland €12,69712,697
2024 Kajsa Arwefjäll Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden €15,65215,652
2023 Gemma Clews Flag of England.svg  England €11,702117,020
2022 Patricia Isabel Schmidt Flag of Germany.svg  Germany €8,5019,216
2021 Lily May Humphreys Flag of England.svg  England €14,98014,400
2020 Line Toft Hansen
Louise Rydqvist (a)
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
22,400 [a] 22,400
2019 Tonje Daffinrud Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 215,876160,985
2018 Filippa Möörk Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 166.185142,899
2017 Sarah Nilsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 110,649106,002
2016 Jenny Haglund Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 278,104 [b] 202,334
2015 Johanna Gustavsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 114,248103,420
2014 Natalie Wille Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 161.519161,608
2013 Lina Boqvist Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 91,14984,428
2012 Cecilie Lundgreen Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 121,67097,231
2011 Maria Ohlsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 177,601128,576
2010 Kaisa Ruuttila Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 300,650218,083
2009 Karin Börjeskog Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 175,509136,758
2008 Zuzana Mašínová Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 305,159247,073
2007 Marianne Skarpnord Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 270,5502,912
2006 Christine Hallström Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 162,6591,756
2005 Nina Reis Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 288,4152,968
2004 Emelie Svenningsson (Leijon) Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 125,4561,548
2003 Linda Wessberg Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 123,1451,584
2002 Riikka Hakkarainen Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 96,6091,402
2001 Maria Bodén Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 117,7061,475
2000 Susanne Westling Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 119,0931,514
1999 Lisa Hed Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 156,8781,715
1998 Nina Karlsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 76,7251,068
1997 Nina Karlsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 79,9121,545
1996 Maria Hjorth (McBride) Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 67,625
1995 Åsa Gottmo Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 29,750
1994 Åsa Gottmo Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 71,900
1993 Carin Hjalmarsson (Koch) Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 94,750
1992 Carin Hjalmarsson (Koch) Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 81,825
1991 Marie Wennersten Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 127,700
1990 Marie Wennersten Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 71,750
1989 Pia Nilsson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 90,500
1988 Sofia Grönberg (Whitmore) Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 34,000
1987 Maria Guslin (Lindbladh) Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 37,500
1986 Liselotte Neumann Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 90,300
  1. The Order of Merit win was shared between Hansen and Rydqvist. Due to the Covid19 situation during 2020, a reduced schedule was played and Hansen only took part in two tournaments and Rydqvist only took part in one tournament. As Rydqvist was an amateur, she received no prize money.
  2. In the 2016 SGT season, Haglund officially won SEK 84,000 and EUR 20,432, which approximately, counting with an exchange rate of 9.5, makes SEK 194,104 and total prize money won SEK 278,104.

Note: Until 1996, the SGT Order of Merit standings was decided by money won and since 1997 different point systems, not comparable between years, have been in force.

Sources: [2] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Swedish Golf Tour: Nordic Golf Tour – ett lyft för professionell golf" [Swedish Golf Tour: Nordic Golf Tour – a raise for professional golf]. Swedish Golf Federation. 7 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Golf – Den stora sporten [Golf – The Great Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation 100 Years. 2004. pp. 42–43, 242, 278–279, 285.
  3. Golf – Den Gröna Sporten [Golf – the Green Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation 75 Years. p. 53.
  4. "Telia Tour becomes an Official Feeder Tour to LET". Ladies European Tour. 19 May 2005. Archived from the original on 25 October 2006.
  5. https://www.svenskgolf.se/artiklar/folja/20110225/ny-damtour-pa-europaniva/ [ bare URL ]
  6. http://www.cronicagolf.com/nace-el-west-circuito-profesional-femenino-hispanosueco/ [ bare URL ]
  7. "Swedish Golf Tour, Spelschema 2020" [Swedish Golf Tour, Schedule 2020] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 7 February 2020.
  8. "Svenska proffstourerna drar igång" [Swedish pro tours restart]. Svensk Golf. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  9. "Välkommen till Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour" [Welcome to Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour]. Swedish Golf Federation. January 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  10. "Tillbaka till framtiden, Telia Infomedia Ranking 1997" [Back to the future, Telia Infomedia Ranking 1997]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 11. November 1997. pp. 100–101, 108.
  11. "Gott Nytt År, Sophie vann men Nina tog priset, Telia Tour Ranking" [Happy new Year, Sophie won but Nina took the price, Telia Tour Ranking]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 11. November 1998. pp. 94–97, 206, 207.
  12. "Äntligen medvind, Telia Tour" [Finally wind with you, Telia Tour]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 11. November 1999. pp. 104–105, 119–120.
  13. "Vad hände sen? Så gick det för tourvinnarna" [What happened then? The way it went for the tour winners]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 1. January 2010. pp. 66–70.
  14. "Tourvinnarna drömmer om Europa" [The tour winners dreams about Europe]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). 2 October 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  15. "Fihn och Davidsson vann tourfinalen" [Fihn and Davidsson won the Tour final]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). 2 October 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  16. "Ramsay och Carlsson finalsegrare" [Ramsay and Carlsson winners of the final]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). 30 September 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  17. "Swedish Golf Tour, Schedule, Orders of Merit 2013-2019" (in Swedish). Svenska Golfförbundet, Swedish Golf Federation. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  18. "Spelarmanual Swedish Golf Tour 2020" [Players Manual Swedish Golf Tour 2020](PDF) (in Swedish). Svenska Golfförbundet, Swedish Golf Federation. Retrieved 8 June 2020.