Oliver Wilson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oliver Wilson
Personal information
Full name	Oliver John Wilson
Born	(1980-09-14) 14 September 1980 (age 44) 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
The Masters Tournament	CUT: 2009, 2010
U.S. Open	T23: 2009
The Open Championship	T24: 2009
PGA Championship	T19: 2009

Oliver John Wilson (born 14 September 1980) is an English professional golfer. He plays golf for a living. Oliver was part of the 2008 Ryder Cup team. This is a big team golf event. He had to wait six more years for his first big win. This was the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Early Golf Days

Oliver Wilson was born in Mansfield, England. He started playing golf at Coxmoor Golf Club. Before that, he was a junior player at Oakmere Park Golf Club. He also played golf in college. He went to Augusta State University in the United States.

Becoming a Professional Golfer

Oliver became a professional golfer in 2003. He played on the Challenge Tour in 2004. This tour helps golfers get ready for bigger competitions. He did well, finishing 15th on the money list. This helped him move up to the European Tour.

He kept getting better each year. In 2005, he finished 97th on the European Tour money list. He improved to 71st in 2006, then 30th in 2007. By 2008, he was 11th, and in 2009, he reached 7th place.

In his first year on the European Tour (2005), Oliver finished in the top ten three times. In 2006, he almost won the Volvo China Open. He lost in a "play-off" to Paul Casey. A play-off is like extra time in a game. In 2007, he finished second two times.

Oliver finished second four times in 2008. One of these was at the BMW PGA Championship. He lost in a play-off to Miguel Ángel Jiménez. In April 2008, Oliver entered the top 100 golfers in the world. After his second-place finish at the PGA Championship, he reached his highest rank of 45th.

Also in 2008, Oliver was chosen for the 2008 Ryder Cup team. This is a very important event where Europe plays against the USA.

In 2009, Oliver kept playing well. He finished second at the HSBC Champions tournament. He also had a top-5 finish at the WGC-CA Championship. Later that year, he was runner-up again at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

In 2010, Oliver didn't finish higher than 5th place. But he still stayed in the top 50 golfers. After the 2011 season, he lost his full playing rights on the European Tour. He then played on both the European Tour and the Challenge Tour in 2012. He tried to get his full playing rights back but didn't succeed.

First Big Win

After playing in 228 European Tour events, Oliver finally won his first big tournament. This was the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He won a lot of money, about $800,000! Before this win, he had finished second nine times. This was the most for any golfer who hadn't won yet.

Oliver was invited to play in the tournament by a sponsor. Before his win, he was ranked 252nd in one golf ranking. He was 104th in another, and 792nd in the world. His win helped him jump to 39th in one ranking and 156th in the world. It also gave him a spot on the European Tour until the end of 2016.

After his big win in 2014, Oliver had a tough time again. He didn't get his Tour card back in 2016. He played on the Challenge Tour in 2017. His golf form was not good. In an interview, Oliver said he thought about quitting golf. This was after he didn't get his European Tour card for 2018.

Return to Form

Oliver started playing better in mid-2018. He qualified for the 2018 Open Championship. This was his first major tournament since 2010. He finished tied for 29th at the Porsche European Open. The next week, he won the Swedish Challenge in a play-off. Oliver had lost four play-offs on the European Tour before this win. He also lost a play-off in the 2013 Northern Ireland Open Challenge. He finished 17th on the Challenge Tour. This was just shy of getting a European Tour spot for 2019.

In December 2018, Oliver finished tied for third place at the South African Open. This good finish helped him get a spot in the 2019 Open Championship.

Oliver Wilson at the 2019 Scandinavian Invitation in Sweden.

In September 2022, Oliver won his second European Tour event. This was the Made in HimmerLand in Denmark. He shot a score of 67 in the final round. He beat Ewen Ferguson by one shot. This was his first European Tour win in over seven years!

Professional Wins (4)

Oliver Wilson has won 4 professional tournaments.

European Tour Wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	5 Oct 2014	Alfred Dunhill Links Championship	−17 (64-72-65-70=271)	1 stroke	Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Richie Ramsay
2	4 Sep 2022	Made in HimmerLand	−21 (66-65-65-67=263)	1 stroke	Ewen Ferguson

Challenge Tour Wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	5 Aug 2018	Swedish Challenge	−13 (68-70-69-68=275)	Playoff	Joachim B. Hansen
2	7 Oct 2018	Monaghan Irish Challenge	−12 (69-70-68-69=276)	2 strokes	Marco Iten

Results in Major Championships

Major championships are the most important golf tournaments.

Oliver Wilson at the 2015 Open de France.

     Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut (didn't play well enough to continue)
"T" = tied (finished with the same score as other players)
NT = No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary of Major Results

• Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (2009 U.S. Open – 2009 PGA)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 0

Results in Other Big Championships

The Players Championship

"T" indicates a tie for a place

World Golf Championships

These are a series of important golf events around the world.

     Top 10      Did not play QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play (match play is when two golfers play against each other, hole by hole)
"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Team Appearances

Oliver has played for teams in golf.

As an Amateur

• European Boys' Team Championship (representing England): 1997
• European Amateur Team Championship (representing England): 2003
• Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2003 (winners)
• Palmer Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland/Europe): 2001, 2002, 2003 (winners)

As a Professional

• Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2007 (winners), 2009 (winners)
• Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2008
• Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2009