Swedish professional golfer
Gabriel Hjertstedt (born 5 December 1971) is a Swedish professional golfer. In 1997, he became the first Swede to win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.
Early life and amateur career
Hjertstedt was born in Umeå, Sweden. His family relocated to Australia when he was eleven and he learned to play golf there. He joined the Swedish National Team and won bronze at the 1989 European Boys' Team Championship with Max Anglert, Pierre Fulke, Klas Eriksson and Rikard Strångert, shooting 69-69 in the stroke play, five strokes ahead of Massimo Florioli in second.[1]
Hjertstedt was part of the Swedish team winning the 1990 Eisenhower Trophy in Christchurch, New Zealand with Klas Eriksson, Mathias Grönberg and Per Nyman, registering the tournament's second lowest individual score behind Grönberg. His team finished a total of 13 stokes ahead of the United States team that included David Duval and Phil Mickelson in second place.[2]
Professional career
Hjertstedt turned professional in 1990 and joined the PGA Tour of Australasia, where he tied for 7th at the New Zealand Open and for 4th at the Australian Masters at Huntingdale Golf Club. In 1992, he played on the Japan Golf Tour, where he tied for 16th at the Pepsi Ube Kosan Open and 17th at the Acom International.[3]
He played on the European Tour from 1993 to 1996. In his rookie season Hjertstedt was runner-up at the Open de Lyon behind Costantino Rocca. In 1994, he was again runner-up at the Open de Lyon and also at Peugeot Open de France at Le Golf National, a stroke behind Mark Roe.[3]
Hjertstedt tied for 9th at PGA Tour Q-School to join the U.S.-based PGA Tour in 1997. In his rookie year he won the B.C. Open in New York the same week that Europe won that year's Ryder Cup at Valderrama Golf Club, to become the first Swede to win on the PGA Tour.[4] He followed up in 1999 by claiming his second PGA Tour title at the Touchstone Energy Tucson Open after he birdied the first hole in a playoff with Tommy Armour III.[5]
He represented Sweden in the Dunhill Cup in 1994 and again in 1999, where he tied for 3rd together with Jarmo Sandelin and Patrik Sjöland, after he lost to Australia's Craig Parry on the first playoff hole in the semi-final. He did not play any PGA Tour-sanctioned events after 2009, until he appeared on the PGA Tour Champions in 2022. He has served as golf coach based at Scottsdale National Golf Club with clients such as Kevin Chappell and Graham DeLaet.[6]
Amateur wins
Professional wins (2)
PGA Tour wins (2)
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
Results in major championships
Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
Professional
See also
References
External links
