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Sandra Gal
Gal at the 2015 Kingsmill Championship
Personal information
Born (1985-05-09) 9 May 1985 (age 40)
Düsseldorf, West Germany (now Germany)
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nationality  Germany
Residence Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Career
College University of Florida
Turned professional 2007
Current tour(s) LPGA Tour (joined 2008)
Professional wins 1
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour 1
Best results in LPGA Major Championships
Kraft Nabisco C'ship T15: 2011
LPGA Championship 12th/T12: 2012, 2015
U.S. Women's Open 3rd: 2012
Women's British Open T25: 2013
The Evian Championship T14: 2017

Sandra Gal (born May 9, 1985) is a German professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA Tour, which is a top golf tour in the United States.

Sandra Gal's Early Life and College Golf

Growing Up and Starting Golf

Sandra Gal was born in Düsseldorf, Germany. She started playing golf when she was five years old. Her family often went on golf vacations across Europe. When she was 17, she joined the German National Team. At 18, she won the German National Girls Championship. She finished high school in 2004.

Playing Golf in College

While still on the German National Team, Sandra moved to the United States. She went to the University of Florida in Gainesville. From 2005 to 2007, she played for the Florida Gators women's golf team. She won four events in college competitions. In 2007, she was named a First Team All-American. This means she was one of the best college golfers in the country. She also earned academic honors from 2005 to 2008.

Turning Professional

In 2007, Sandra won the Ladies European Amateur tournament. Later that year, she entered the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. This tournament helps golfers earn a spot on the LPGA Tour. She did well enough to join the LPGA Tour for 2008. After qualifying, she became a professional golfer. Even though she was playing professionally, she finished her college degree. She graduated with honors from the University of Florida in August 2008. She earned a bachelor's degree in advertising.

Sandra Gal's Professional Golf Career

Joining the LPGA Tour

Sandra Gal earned her full playing rights on the LPGA Tour in 2008. She tied for 14th place in the 2007 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. She turned professional right after this tournament.

First LPGA Tour Win

In 2011, which was her fourth year on the LPGA Tour, Sandra won her first big event. This was the Kia Classic in March. She finished the tournament with a score of 16 strokes under par. She won by just one stroke over Jiyai Shin. Before this, her best finish was fifth place in the 2009 LPGA Corning Classic. In 2009, she also had two of her lowest scores ever, shooting 64 strokes in a round. Sandra Gal is only the second German player to win on the LPGA Tour. The first was Tina Fischer.

Playing for Europe

Sandra was part of the European team that won the Solheim Cup in 2011. The Solheim Cup is a team competition between top women golfers from Europe and the United States. She also played on the European Solheim Cup Team in 2015.

Olympic Games Participation

In 2016, Sandra Gal played in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She finished tied for 25th place in the golf event.

Sandra Gal's Coaching Team

Sandra Gal works with a swing coach named Mitchell Spearman. Her fitness coach is Christian Marysko, who also trains the German National Golf Team. Since September 2016, her caddie has been Oliver Brett. A caddie helps a golfer during a round by carrying clubs and giving advice.

Professional Wins

LPGA Tour Wins (1)

Sandra Gal has won one tournament on the LPGA Tour.

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner-up Winner's
share ($)
1 27 Mar 2011 Kia Classic 67-68-70-71=276 –16 1 stroke South Korea Jiyai Shin 255,000

Results in Major Championships

Major championships are the most important tournaments in golf. Sandra Gal has played in many of these. Her best finish in a major was 3rd place at the 2012 U.S. Women's Open.

Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
ANA Inspiration CUT T34 T15 T38 CUT T34 T46 CUT CUT T48 T44
U.S. Women's Open CUT T40 51 T34 3 CUT T22 CUT CUT T27 CUT CUT
Women's PGA Championship T56 T49 CUT CUT T12 CUT T22 12 T30 CUT T40 T66 CUT
The Evian Championship ^ T19 T32 T50 T64 T14 T37 CUT NT
Women's British Open CUT T33 CUT T54 CUT T25 CUT T36 T47 T49 T22 CUT 69

^ The Evian Championship became a major in 2013.

     Top 10      Did not play DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut (did not play all rounds)
NT = no tournament
T = tied (finished with the same score as others)

Career Summary

This table shows Sandra Gal's overall performance in major championships.

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
ANA Inspiration 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 7
U.S. Women's Open 0 0 1 1 1 2 12 6
Women's PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 8
The Evian Championship 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 6
Women's British Open 0 0 0 0 0 2 13 8
Totals 0 0 1 1 1 10 56 35
  • She made the cut in 5 tournaments in a row from 2011 to 2012.
  • She has had one top-10 finish streak.

LPGA Tour Career Overview

This table shows Sandra Gal's performance each year on the LPGA Tour.

Year Tournaments
played		 Cuts
made		 Wins 2nd 3rd Top 10s Best
finish		 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank		 Scoring
average		 Scoring
rank
2006 1 0 0 0 0 0 CUT n/a 78.00
2008 22 17 0 0 0 0 T14 181,162 68 72.03 40
2009 23 17 0 0 0 2 T5 298,763 46 72.12 41
2010 22 15 0 0 0 0 T11 106,388 67 73.39 94
2011 20 17 1 1 0 5 1 623,526 20 71.64 19
2012 26 23 0 0 1 2 3 574,323 25 71.80 32
2013 25 20 0 0 0 4 4 420,137 35 71.25 25
2014 27 20 0 0 0 5 T5 504,518 36 71.27 21
2015 27 26 0 0 0 3 T5 531,961 30 71.17 17
2016 26 20 0 0 0 2 T4 306,799 62 71.71 56
2017 27 18 0 0 0 2 T7 318,529 59 71.79 80
2018 25 17 0 0 1 3 T3 373,846 58 71.28 39
2019 17 8 0 0 0 0 T11 83,552 116 72.82 139
2020 5 2 0 0 0 0 T48 13,476 144 73.57 n/a
2021 5 1 0 0 0 0 71 5,923 175 73.50 n/a
2022 1 0 0 0 0 0 CUT 0 n/a 75.50 n/a
2023 Did not play
2024 11 6 0 0 0 0 T30 47,264 163 72.43 126

World Ranking

This table shows Sandra Gal's position in the Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each year.

Year World
ranking		 Source
2007 694
2008 124
2009 73
2010 124
2011 41
2012 33
2013 45
2014 50
2015 47
2016 77
2017 93
2018 91
2019 165
2020 261
2021 628
2022 1157
2023 –
2024 709

Team Competitions

Sandra Gal has represented Germany and Europe in several team golf events.

Amateur Teams

  • Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Germany): 2004, 2006
  • European Ladies' Team Championship (representing Germany): 2005, 2007

Professional Teams

  • Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 2011 (winners), 2015

Olympic Games Participation

Year Country Score Final
position
2016 Brazil 71-74-69-69=283 T25

See also

  • List of Florida Gators women's golfers on the LPGA Tour
  • List of University of Florida alumni
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