Niclas Fasth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Niclas Fasth |
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Niclas Krister Fasth |
| Born | 29 April 1972 Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 79 kg (174 lb; 12.4 st) |
| Nationality |  Sweden |
| Residence | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Spouse |
Marie
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1993 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 11 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 6 |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 |
| Challenge Tour | 4 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | T39: 2008 |
| U.S. Open | 4th: 2007 |
| The Open Championship | 2nd: 2001 |
| PGA Championship | T10: 2003 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Swedish Golf Tour Order of Merit winner |
1993 |
Niclas Krister Fasth (born 29 April 1972) is a Swedish professional golfer. He has won six times on the European Tour, which is one of the biggest golf tours in the world. Niclas also finished second in a major tournament called the 2001 Open Championship and fourth in the 2007 U.S. Open. He was also part of the European team that won the 2002 Ryder Cup, a famous team golf competition.
Niclas Fasth: A Golf Star's Journey
Growing Up with Golf
Niclas Fasth was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. When he was 10 years old, his family bought a summer house near the Lysegården Golf Club. His parents, Kristher and Inga-Lill, and his younger sister Jessica, started playing golf there. Niclas spent a lot of time at the golf course with his friends. He practiced a lot and showed great talent from a young age.
Besides golf, Niclas also played other sports. In winter, he was good at ice hockey. When he was 16, he went to a special sports school in Mark, Sweden. This school allowed him to study while also training for golf. In 1988, his school team won the Swedish School Championship. Niclas also won the individual title, and his team represented Sweden in an international final in England.
Amazing Amateur Achievements
Niclas had a very successful amateur golf career. In 1990, he won the Swedish Teen-Tour Order of Merit. This award goes to the best boy golfer under 19.
In 1991, he won the Greek Open Amateur Championship in Athens. He set a new record for the tournament with his score. The next year, he became the Swedish Junior Match-Play Champion. He won the final match on the very last hole!
In 1992, Niclas was the only amateur golfer to make the cut at the 1992 Scandinavian Masters. This was a big European Tour event. He finished tied for 35th place, showing he could compete with top professional players like Nick Faldo.
Niclas also played for Sweden in many team events. In 1992, he helped the Swedish team win the European Youths' Team Championship in Finland. They beat England in the final. Later that year, he was one of the top four amateur golfers chosen for the Swedish team at the 1992 Eisenhower Trophy. His team finished 5th, and Niclas was the best Swedish player, finishing 5th individually.
Turning Pro: Big Wins and Challenges
Niclas Fasth became a professional golfer in 1993. He started playing on the Asia Golf Circuit. In his first year, he finished second at the Sampoerna Indonesia Open. He then won three events on the Challenge Tour, which is the second-tier European tour. Because of these wins, he was named the 1993 season Swedish Golf Tour Order of Merit winner. From 1994 to 2018, he played regularly on the European Tour, except for one year in 1999.
He tried playing on the U.S.-based PGA Tour in 1998, but it wasn't very successful. After that, he focused mostly on playing in Europe.
Winning on the European Tour
In 2001, Niclas had a fantastic year. He finished tenth on the European Tour's Order of Merit. He was the runner-up at the 2001 Open Championship in England, which is one of golf's four major tournaments. He played a great final round and was the leader for two hours.
Niclas won six tournaments on the European Tour:
- The Madeira Island Open in 2000.
- The Holden New Zealand Open in 2005.
- The Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe in 2005.
- The Andalucía Open de España Valle Romano in 2006.
- The Mallorca Classic in 2006.
- The BMW International Open in 2007.
In 2005 and 2006, he won two tournaments each year. These wins helped him finish high on the European Tour's money list.
Playing in Major Championships
Niclas played well in the biggest golf tournaments, called "majors."
- In 2001, he finished second at The Open Championship.
- In 2007, he finished fourth at the U.S. Open in Pennsylvania.
- In 2003, he finished tied for 10th at the PGA Championship.
His strong performance at the 2007 U.S. Open and his win at the BMW International Open helped him reach his best ranking ever on the European Tour, finishing fifth in 2007.
Representing Europe: The Ryder Cup
Because of his great play in 2001, Niclas was chosen for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. This is a huge team competition between Europe and the USA. The European team won 15½ to 12½, and Niclas helped by tying his match against Paul Azinger.
Life After Regular Tournaments
In 2018, Niclas played only a few tournaments on the European Tour. His last tournament was the Scandinavian Invitation at his home club, Hills Golf and Sports Club. After this, he stopped playing competitive golf regularly.
Niclas was ranked among the top 20 golfers in the world. His highest ranking was 18th in October 2007.
After turning 50 in April 2022, Niclas became old enough to play in senior tournaments. He returned to competitive golf on the European Senior Tour, now called the Legends Tour. He played in eleven tournaments and finished 60th on the 2022 Legends Tour Order of Merit. His best finish was tied for 15th place.
His golf equipment sponsor has always been Callaway Golf.
Awards and Personal Life
Niclas Fasth has received several important awards for his contributions to golf.
- In 1997, he earned Elite Sign No. 108 from the Swedish Golf Federation. This award recognizes top Swedish golfers.
- In 2003, Niclas and two other Swedish golfers, Pierre Fulke and Jesper Parnevik, received the Golden Club from the Swedish Golf Federation. This is the highest award for helping Swedish golf. They received it for being part of the winning European Ryder Cup team.
- In 2003, Niclas was also made an honorary member of the Swedish PGA.
Niclas is married to Marie, and they have two children. During his golf career, he lived in Monaco and London, England. Since 2014, he has lived in Gothenburg, Sweden, and represents Hills Golf and Sports Club.
Since 2019, after he stopped playing full-time, Niclas has worked for the Swedish Golf Federation. He is an adviser and coach for the Swedish national amateur golf team, helping young golfers.
Playing for His Country
Niclas Fasth has represented Sweden and Europe in many important team golf events:
Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1990
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1991
- European Youths' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1992 (winners)
- EGA Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1992 (winners)
- St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1992
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Sweden): 1992
Professional
- WGC-World Cup (representing Sweden): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2002 (winners)
- Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2002, 2003, 2005
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2007 (winners), 2009
See also
- 1997 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most Challenge Tour wins
