| Sophie Gustafson | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gustafson in April 2011 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1973-12-27)27 December 1973 (age 51) Varberg,Sweden | ||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Sporting nationality |  Sweden | ||||||||||
| Residence | Särö, Kungsbacka, Sweden | ||||||||||
| Spouse | Ty Votaw (2006–10) | ||||||||||
| Career | |||||||||||
| Turned professional | 1992 | ||||||||||
| Former tour(s) | Ladies European Tour (joined 1994) LPGA Tour (joined 1998) | ||||||||||
| Professional wins | 26 | ||||||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||||||
| LPGA Tour | 5 | ||||||||||
| Ladies European Tour | 16 (6th all-time) | ||||||||||
| Ladies Asian Golf Tour | 1 | ||||||||||
| Other | 5 | ||||||||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships | |||||||||||
| Chevron Championship | T7:2001 | ||||||||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | T6:2007 | ||||||||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T10:2006 | ||||||||||
| du Maurier Classic | T33: 2000 | ||||||||||
| Women's British Open | 2nd/T2:2005,2006 | ||||||||||
| Evian Championship | CUT: 2013 | ||||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Sophie Gustafson (born 27 December 1973) is aSwedish professional golfer. She was a member of the U.S.-basedLPGA Tour and is a life member of theLadies European Tour (LET).[1] She has five LPGA Tour and 23 international wins in her career, including victories on five of the six continents on which golf is played: North America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia. She is a four-time LET Order of Merit winner[2] and represented Europe in theSolheim Cup on each team from 1998 to 2011.[3][4] She won theWomen's British Open in 2000, the year before it was recognized as amajor championship by the LPGA Tour and finished runner-up in2005 and2006.
Gustafson grew up inSärö, outsideKungsbacka on the west coast ofSweden. At young ages, she practiced many different sports with her two elder brothers –football,tennis,table tennis,ice hockey,sailing andfigure skating. When she was ten years old, a 9-hole golf course was built close to her home and Gustafson and her family began playing. At 14 years of age, she quit other sports, to concentrate on golf and got the opportunity to represent nearby situated Kungsbacka Golf Club, with 27 holes and better practice facilities. Showing great talent, she turned professional at 18 years of age in 1992, whilst studying marketing, economics and law at Aranäs High School in Kungsbacka.[5][6]
In 1993 she won theSwedish Junior Match-play Championship, which at the time, due to Sweden's "open golf"-policy was not restricted to amateurs only, but it was without prize-money and unique that it was won by a young professional.[7]
From 1992 to 1994, Gustafson played 12Telia Tour and fourLadies European Tour tournaments. On the Telia Tour, she had six top-10 finishes. Her best finish on the Ladies European Tour was a 22nd at her home tournament in Sweden.[8][9][10]
1995 saw her join the Ladies European Tour gaining two top-10 finishes in 13 starts.[11] 1996 was her first full year on the Ladies European Tour. She gained her first professional wins, winning once on the Telia Tour at theRörstrand Ladies Open[12] and once on the Ladies European Tour at the Déesse Ladies Swiss Open.[13] In 1997 she earned her first win on the Ladies Asian Tour at the Thailand Ladies Open[14] and finished T40th at LPGA Q School to earn non-exempt status for 1998.[5]
In 1998 Gustafson won twice on the LET at theDonegal Irish Ladies' Open and at the Marrakech Palmeraie Open, finish second on the Order of Merit and was voted Waterford Players' Player of the Year.[2] She also played four times on theLPGA Tour, recording a second-place finish at the co-sanctionedWomen's British Open.[5] She also won the Telia Tour Finale[15] and made her debut in theSolheim Cup, replacing the injuredTrish Johnson at the last minute.[16] During 1999, Gustafson played on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tours. Her best result was a tie for second at theLadies' German Open on the Ladies European Tour.[2]
2000 was a breakthrough year for Gustafson. She got her maiden win on the LPGA Tour at theChick-fil-A Charity Championship,[17] and added a second LPGA title at the co-sanctioned Women's British Open.[18] She had two other wins in Europe at theLadies Italian Open and at theWaterford Crystal Ladies' Irish Open,[19] and partnered withCarin Koch to win the inauguralTSN Ladies World Cup Golf.[20] She also won 2 and a half out of a possible four points in Europe's Solheim Cup victory at Loch Lomond.[2] The year ended with Gustafson topping the Evian Order of Merit and official Evian moneylist and becoming Players' Player of Year'.[19][21][22]
In 2001 Gustafson won once on both the LPGA Tour at theSubaru Memorial of Naples[23] and Ladies European Tour at theAAMI Women's Australian Open[24] crossing the LPGA Tour career $1million earnings mark. The defence of her LPGA title ended with her losing in a playoff toAnnika Sörenstam.[25] In 2002, she played seven LET events, posting four top-10 finishes, ending the season with one victory at the Biarritz Ladies Classic[26] and third place in the Order of Merit as well as winning the Vivien Saunders Stroke average trophy.[2] She made 15 of 20 cuts on the LPGA, with her best finish an 11th.
In 2003, she won three out of eight LET events[27][28][29] and secured another LET Order of Merit title. She also won her third LET Players' Player of the Year award and the Vivien Saunders Stroke Average trophy.[30] She won the Samsung World Championship on the LPGA tour,[31] her 4th LPGA win, crossing the $2million LPGA Tour career earnings mark. She became the first woman to compete in a men's Japan Golf Tour event,[32] and was part of the winning EuropeanSolheim Cup team in her nativeSweden.
During 2004 Gustafson struggled with illness due todeep vein thrombosis in her leg.[2] Her best finish of the year was a tie for third on the LPGA tour where she led the tour in driving distance at 270.2 yards. At the start of 2005, Gustafson represented Sweden with Carin Koch in the 2005 Women's World Cup of Golf in SA.[33] Three LET events in 2005 yielded a second-place finish at the Weetabix Women's British Open and 3rd place on the LET Money List. On the LPGA Tour she had seven top 10 finishes and tied her career low round of 64 at theWendy's Championship for Children.[2] Gustafson made her 5th appearance in theSolheim Cup.[34] and was a member of the winning International Team in the inauguralLexus Cup.[35]
In 2006 Gustafson played in just three LET events but finished fourth on the New Star Money List after claiming her first victory in almost three years at theSiemens Austrian Ladies Golf Open at Golfclub Fohrenwald inWiener Neustadt in Austria.[36] This win gave her the point she needed to become a Life Member of the LET.[1] She earned her thirteenth LET win in 2007 at theDe Vere Ladies Scottish Open.
Gustafson was a member of the EuropeanSolheim Cup team in1998,2000,2002,2003,2005,2007,2009 and2011.
In 1998, she earned Elite Sign No. 116 by theSwedish Golf Federation, on the basis of national team appearances and national championship performances.[37]
In 2000, Gustafson was votedSwedish Golfer of the Year, professional or amateur, male or female, by the Association of Swedish Golf Writers.[22]
As receipant number 26, Gustafson was in 2001 awarded the Golden Club by the Swedish Golf Federation for outstanding contributions to Swedish golf.[38]
In 2004, she was awarded honorary member of the PGA of Sweden.[39]
In 2006, Gustafson married former LPGA commissionerTy Votaw,[40] who left his post following the 2005 Solheim Cup. They divorced in January 2010.[41]
Gustafson, in her words, has a "severestuttering problem" and rarely speaks to the media. During the2011 Solheim Cup she made an exception and spoke on-camera withGolf Channel.[42]
During her LPGA Tour career, she lived in Orlando, Florida. After retiring, she moved back to Särö, Sweden.
Since 2015, Gustafson only played in a few tournaments. Instead she began a career as a caddie for LET playerBeth Allen. They parted ways after theU.S. Women's Open in July2017.[43]
Gustafson is interested in driving motorcycle.[6]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 Apr2000 | Chick-fil-A Charity Championship | −10 (65-69-72=206) | 1 stroke |  Amy FruhwirthKelly Robbins |
| 2 | 20 Aug2000 | Weetabix Women's British Open1 | −10 (70-66-71-75=282) | 2 strokes | Becky Iverson Kirsty Taylor |
| 3 | 21 Jan2001 | Subaru Memorial of Naples | −16 (68-64-70-70=272) | 3 strokes |  Karrie Webb |
| 4 | 12 Oct2003 | Samsung World Championship | −14 (72-69-69-64=274) | 2 strokes | Beth DanielRachel Hetherington |
| 5 | 27 Sep2009 | CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge | −20 (65-69-66-68=268) | 4 strokes |  Lorena Ochoa |
LPGA Tour playoff record (0–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Mizuno Classic |  Lorie Kane | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2001 | Chick-fil-A Charity Championship | Annika Sörenstam | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 2008 | Safeway Classic | Helen AlfredssonCristie Kerr | Kerr won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2009 | Evian Masters1 |  Ai Miyazato | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Ladies European Tour playoff record (4–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 | Donegal Irish Ladies' Open |  Iben Tinning | Won on the first playoff hole |
| 2 | 2002 | Biarritz Ladies Classic |  Mhairi McKay | Won with a birdie on the first playoff hole |
| 3 | 2003 | HP Open |  Suzann Pettersen | Won with par at the third playoff hole |
| 4 | 2009 | Evian Masters1 | Ai Miyazato | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2010 | European Ladies Golf Cup | Karrie Webb &Karen Lunn | Nordqvist and Gustafson defeated Webb and Lunn on the third playoff hole |
Note: Gustafson won the Weetabix Women's British Open once before it was recognized as a major championship on the LPGA Tour in 2001.
Notes:
Results not in chronological order before 2014.
| ! Tournament | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T79 | |
| LPGA Championship | T54 | T40 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T20 | T31 |
| du Maurier Classic | T33 |
| ! Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T7 | T25 | T51 | T48 | T66 | CUT | T44 | T42 | T64 |
| LPGA Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T74 | CUT | T44 | T6 | CUT | T16 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 11 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T58 | T10 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Women's British Open ^ | T42 | T11 | 8 | CUT | 2 | T2 | T33 | T24 | T33 |
| ! Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T10 | T15 | CUT | T63 | CUT |
| U.S. Women's Open | T19 | CUT | 56 | CUT | |
| Women's British Open | T43 | 3 | CUT | CUT | |
| LPGA Championship | T25 | T57 | T30 | WD | CUT |
| The Evian Championship ^^ | CUT | ||||
^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001
^^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 12 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 7 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 10 |
| LPGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 9 |
| du Maurier Classic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 61 | 39 |
| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T75 | 612 | n/a | 77.25 | n/a |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | n/a | n/a | 82.00 | n/a |
| 1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | n/a | n/a | 75.00 | n/a |
| 1997 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 30,154 | n/a | 72.50 | n/a |
| 1998 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | T12 | 81,915 | n/a | 74.58 | n/a |
| 1999 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T6 | 80,800 | 96 | 73.27 | 115 |
| 2000 | 21 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 544,390 | 13 | 71.93 | 17 |
| 2001 | 25 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 617,327 | 15 | 71.55 | 25 |
| 2002 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T11 | 165,093 | 57 | 72.40 | 47 |
| 2003 | 22 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 635,372 | 18 | 71.11 | 17 |
| 2004 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | T3 | 167,843 | 65 | 73.48 | 124 |
| 2005 | 26 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 484,839 | 28 | 72.59 | 46 |
| 2006 | 25 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | T2 | 655,548 | 17 | 71.57 | 21 |
| 2007 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | T2 | 469,748 | 30 | 71.84 | 16 |
| 2008 | 23 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | T2 | 646,303 | 28 | 71.85 | 33 |
| 2009 | 22 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 792,359 | 17 | 71.54 | 26 |
| 2010 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T10 | 231,715 | 45 | 72.70 | 59 |
| 2011 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 427,586 | 26 | 72.44 | 39 |
| 2012 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T12 | 158,089 | 65 | 73.28 | 85 |
| 2013 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T45 | 13,751 | 135 | 74.33 | 135 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | 0 | n/a | 77.33 | n/a |
Professional
| Year | Total matches | Total W-L-H | Singles W-L-H | Foursomes W-L-H | Fourballs W-L-H | Points won | Points % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 31 | 13-12-6 | 3-4-1 | 7-1-4 | 3-7-1 | 16.0 | 51.6 |
| 1998 | 2 | 0-1-1 | 0-0-1halved w/M. Mallon | 0-1-0lost w/L.Hackney 7&5 | 0.5 | 25.0 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 2-1-1 | 0-1-0 lost toB. Burton 4&3 | 1-0-1 won w/T. Johnson 3&2, halved w/T. Johnson | 1-0-0 won w/T. Johnson 3&2 | 2.5 | 62.5 |
| 2002 | 3 | 2-1-0 | 1-0-0 def.C. Kerr 3&2 | 1-1-0 lost w/K. Icher 4&3, won w/L. Davies 1 up | 2.0 | 66.7 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 3-2-0 | 1-0-0 def.H. Bowie 5&4 | 2-0-0 won w/E. Esterl 3&2, won w/S. Pettersen 3&1 | 0-2-0 lost w/I. Tinning 2 dn, lost w/L. Davies 2&1 | 3.0 | 60.0 |
| 2005 | 5 | 1-2-2 | 0-1-0lost toJ.Inkster 2&1 | 1-0-1halved w/T. Johnson, won w/C. Koch 5&3 | 0-1-1lost w/K Stupples 2&1, halved w/S. Pettersen | 2.0 | 40.0 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0-2-2 | 0-1-0lost toP.Hurst 2&1 | 0-0-2halved w/S. Pettersen, halved w/S. Pettersen | 0-1-0lost w/G. Nocera 3&2 | 1.0 | 25.0 |
| 2009 | 4 | 1-3-0 | 0-1-0lost toB. Lincicome 3&2 | 1-1-0lost w/S. Pettersen 4&2, won w/ J. Moodie 4&3 | 0-1-0lost w/S. Pettersen 1 dn | 1.0 | 25.0 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4-0-0 | 1-0-0def.S. Lewis 2 up | 2-0-0won w/S. Pettersen 1 up, won w/C. Hedwall 6&5 | 1-0-0won w/C. Hedwall 5&4 | 4.0 | 100. |
