Oliver Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oliver Wilson |
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Oliver John Wilson |
| Born | 14 September 1980 Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12.0 st) |
| Nationality |  England |
| Residence | Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Spouse | Lauren |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| College | Augusta State University |
| Turned professional | 2003 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 2 |
| Challenge Tour | 2 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | CUT: 2009, 2010 |
| U.S. Open | T23: 2009 |
| The Open Championship | T24: 2009 |
| PGA Championship | T19: 2009 |
Oliver John Wilson, born on September 14, 1980, is a professional golfer from England. He was part of the European team for the 2008 Ryder Cup. Oliver had to wait six more years to win his first big tournament on the European Tour, which was the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. In September 2022, he won his second European Tour event, the Made in HimmerLand.
Contents
Early Golf Days
Oliver Wilson was born in Mansfield, England. He started playing golf when he was young at Coxmoor Golf Club, after being a junior player at Oakmere Park Golf Club. Later, he played golf for Augusta State University while he was in college.
Becoming a Pro Golfer
Oliver became a professional golfer in 2003. In 2004, he played on the Challenge Tour, which is a step below the main European Tour. He did well, finishing 15th on the money list, which helped him move up to the European Tour.
From 2005 to 2009, Oliver kept getting better each year on the European Tour. He finished 97th in 2005, then 71st in 2006, 30th in 2007, 11th in 2008, and reached his highest spot at 7th in 2009.
Early Success and Close Calls
In his first year on the European Tour in 2005, Oliver finished in the top ten three times. In 2006, he almost won the Volvo China Open but lost in a playoff to another golfer, Paul Casey. In 2007, he finished second twice.
Oliver had a great year in 2008, finishing second four times. One of these was at the BMW PGA Championship, where he lost in a playoff to Miguel Ángel Jiménez. In April 2008, he entered the top 100 golfers in the world for the first time. The next month, after his second-place finish at the PGA Championship, he reached his highest world ranking of 45th.
Also in 2008, Oliver was chosen to play in the Ryder Cup matches, which is a big team competition between Europe and the United States.
In 2009, Oliver continued to play well. He finished second at the HSBC Champions tournament and was also runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Challenges and a Big Win
After 2009, Oliver's performance wasn't as strong. He lost his full playing rights on the European Tour at the end of 2011. For a couple of years, he played on both the European Tour and the Challenge Tour, trying to get back his full playing status.
After playing in 228 European Tour events without a win, Oliver finally achieved his first victory at the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This was a huge moment for him, and he won $800,000. Before this win, he had finished second nine times, which was the most for any golfer who hadn't won a tournament yet.
Oliver was invited to play in the tournament by a sponsor. Before his win, he was ranked 252nd in the Race to Dubai (the European Tour's money list), 104th on the Challenge Tour, and 792nd in the world. His victory moved him up to 39th in the Race to Dubai and 156th in the world. It also gave him full membership on the European Tour until the end of 2016.
Return to Form
After his big win in 2014, Oliver had another period where he didn't have much success. He even thought about quitting golf in late 2017 after struggling to get his European Tour card back.
However, Oliver started to play much better in mid-2018. He qualified for the 2018 Open Championship, which was his first major tournament since 2010. The week after the Open, he tied for 29th place at the Porsche European Open. The very next week, he won the Swedish Challenge after a playoff. This was a special win because he had lost four playoffs on the European Tour before.
In December 2018, Oliver finished tied for third place at the South African Open. This strong finish helped him earn a spot in the 2019 Open Championship.
In September 2022, Oliver won his second European Tour event, the Made in HimmerLand in Denmark. He shot a great final round to win by one shot. This was his first European Tour victory in over seven years, showing his determination and skill.
Major Tournament Results
Oliver has played in some of golf's biggest tournaments, known as "majors." These include the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.
He has made the cut (meaning he played all four rounds) in a few of these events:
- U.S. Open: T36 in 2008, T23 in 2009
- The Open Championship: T24 in 2009, T33 in 2023
- PGA Championship: T19 in 2009
Team Competitions
Oliver has represented England and Europe in several team golf events:
As an Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship: 1997 (for England)
- European Amateur Team Championship: 2003 (for England)
- Walker Cup: 2003 (for Great Britain & Ireland, they won!)
- Palmer Cup: 2001, 2002, 2003 (for Great Britain & Ireland/Europe, they won in 2003)
As a Professional
- Seve Trophy: 2007, 2009 (for Great Britain & Ireland, they won both times)
- Ryder Cup: 2008 (for Europe)
- Royal Trophy: 2009 (for Europe)
