Paul Nilbrink

Paul Nilbrink (born 2 May 1971) is an English-born former Swedish professional golfer who has also represented Norway since 2005. He played on the Challenge Tour from 1996 to 2008, winning the 1999 Volvo Finnish Open and the 2000 Norwegian Open.[1]

Paul Nilbrink
Personal information
Born (1971-05-02) 2 May 1971
Epsom, England
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Sporting nationality Sweden (until 2004)
 Norway (2005–)
ResidenceHaslum, Norway
Career
CollegeUniversity of Central Florida
Turned professional1996
Former tour(s)Challenge Tour
Nordic Golf League
EPD Tour
Professional wins9
Number of wins by tour
Challenge Tour2
Other7
Achievements and awards
PGA Sweden Order of Merit
Rookie of the Year		1996

Career

Nilbrink was born in England and grew up in Belgium and Sweden. He had a late development in golf and had a handicap of 36 by age 12 , and 13 at age 15. He later studied for a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at the University of Central Florida in the United States.[2][3]

As an amateur he fought an international match with the Swedish National Team in Hubbelrath, Germany, against Ireland, France and Germany.[4] In addition, he was on the winning team of the Nordic golf championships at Nordcenter Finland. In 1995, he was low qualifier in the Dixie Amateur (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) with the scores of 68, 71, beating Tiger Woods by 7 shots.

Nilbrink turned professional in 1996 and joined the Challenge Tour. His best finish this season was as semi-finalist (3rd) at SM Match, and he finished the season Rookie of the Year on the PGA Sweden Order of Merit.[4]

The following year he fought an international match with the Swedish National Team in Hubbelrath, Germany, against Ireland, France and Germany.[4]

Nilbrink established himself as a regular player on the Challenge Tour and finished top-10 14 times, including winning the 1999 Volvo Finnish Open and the 2000 Norwegian Open. He came close to qualifying for the European Tour but missed the cut by 1 stroke, 3 times.[2]

Nilbrink entered the 2005 European Tour qualifying school in Spain. He was in eighth place for a long time, but ultimately had to settle for a place outside the top 30, losing out on automatic entry to the Tour.[5] He tried again to qualify for the European Tour in 2006, with the same result.[6]

Personal life

Nilbrink, whose wife is Norwegian, relocated to Norway and took up Norwegian citizenship in late 2004.

Professional wins (9)

Challenge Tour wins (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 11 Jul 1999 Volvo Finnish Open −7 (69-72-68-72=281) Playoff Argentina Gustavo Rojas
2 20 Aug 2000 Norwegian Open −10 (70-66-70=206) Playoff Sweden Per Larsson, England Stuart Little

Challenge Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 1999 Volvo Finnish Open Argentina Gustavo Rojas Won with par on third extra hole
2 2000 Norwegian Open Sweden Per Larsson, England Stuart Little Won with birdie on second extra hole
Little eliminated by par on first hole

EPD Tour wins (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 21 Apr 2004 Jakobsberg Classic −13 (67-69-66=203) 2 strokes Denmark Søren Juul
2 25 May 2004 Hohenpähl Classic −7 (70-71-68=209) 1 stroke Scotland Ross Bain

Nordic Golf League wins (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 21 Jun 2009 Galvin Green Tour I −13 (63-66-71=200) 1 stroke Norway Ross Robertson
2 6 Sep 2009 Galvin Green Tour II −8 (74-70-64=208) 5 strokes Sweden Johan Bjerhag, Norway Ofeigur Johann Gudjonson

Other wins (3)
  • 2009 Aegean Airlines Pro Am
  • 2008 Dalsland Golf Resort Open
  • 2013 Szczecin Open

Source:[7][8]

References
  1. "Player: Paul Nilbrink". European Tour. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  2. "Endelig norsk" (in Norwegian). Golfsiden.no. 23 December 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  3. "The 2009–10 UCF Men's Golf Yearbook". UCF Knights.
  4. "Golf - Den stora sporten" (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. "Slår seg opp mot Europa-toppen" (in Norwegian). Ostlendningen. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  6. "En ny golfer er født" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  7. "Paul Nilbrink Results" (in Swedish). Golfdata. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  8. "Nilbrink vant i Polen" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
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