Ove Sellberg

Ove Bertil Sellberg (born 15 October 1959) is a Swedish professional golfer who played on the European Tour. He was the first Swede to win a European Tour event.

Ove Sellberg
Personal information
Full nameOve Bertil Sellberg
Born (1959-10-15) 15 October 1959
Stockholm, Sweden
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb; 12.0 st)
Nationality Sweden
ResidenceStockholm, Sweden
PartnerMimi Lundberg
Career
Turned professional1982
Former tour(s)European Tour
Professional wins6
Highest ranking98 (4 June 1989)[1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT32: 1985
Achievements and awards
Swedish Golfer of the Year1986

Amateur career

Sellberg was born in Stockholm and began playing golf, 10 years old, at Ågesta Golf Club. At 16 years of age, he lost in the final of the 1976 Swedish Junior Match-play Championship, but won the tournament three years later, when the format was changed to stroke-play.[2]

In 1981, as a 21 year old amateur, he took part in the Spanish Open on the European Tour and finished tied 24th.[2]

He was a member of the tied second-placed Sweden amateur team at the Eisenhower Trophy in Lausanne, Switzerland, in September 1982, himself finishing tied 6th individually.[3]

Professional career

A sponsor agreement with car manufacturer Saab Automobile made it possible for Sellberg and two of his teammates from the 1982 Eisenhower Trophy, Magnus Persson and Krister Kinell, to turn professional and form Team Saab, granted support and financial possibilities to compete on the European Tour. He successfully progressed through the 1982 European Tour Qualifying School, at La Manga, Spain, in November, finishing tied 5th and earned his first pay check.

He played on the European Tour through most of the 1980s and 1990s, twice finishing in the top-20 of the Order of Merit, in 1986 and 1987. He won three tournaments on the tour during a five-year-span.

When he defeated Howard Clark in the final of the 1986 Epson Grand Prix of Europe Match Play Championship at St. Pierre Golf & Country Club in Chepstow, South Wales, Sellberg became the first Swede to win a European Tour event, which earned him the 1986 Swedish Golfer of the Year award, male and female. He had further wins in the 1989 Open Renault de Baleares on Majorca, Spain and the 1990 Peugeot-Trends Belgian Open at Royal Waterloo GC, Belgium.

Sellberg represented Sweden four times in the World Cup, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989, with some success. The team finished 11th, 9th, 7th and 3rd, respectively, every time an all-time best for Sweden. In 1987, Sellberg finished tied 7th in the individual competition. He represented Sweden in the Dunhill Cup five years in a row.

At the opening of the Swedish Golf Museum in June 2000, he was one of ten players, among names as Annika Sörenstam and Jesper Parnevik, presented as important in the history of Swedish golf.[4]

Sellberg was CEO of PGA Sweden National from 2008 to 2016, running the golf resort south of Bara, east of Malmö, Sweden.

Amateur wins
  • 1979 Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship
  • 1981 Scandinavian Foursome (Kungsbacka GC) (with Anders Forsbrand)
  • 1982 Guldpokalen (Båstad GC), In Wear-Martinique Open (Kristianstad GC), Ågestakanonen (Ågesta GC)

Sources: [2][5][6]

Professional wins (6)

European Tour wins (3)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 11 May 1986 Epson Grand Prix of Europe
Matchplay Championship		 3 & 2 Howard Clark
2 13 Mar 1989 Open Renault de Baleares −9 (68-71-69-71=279) 2 strokes Mark McNulty, José María Olazábal,
Philip Parkin
3 13 May 1990 Peugeot-Trends Belgian Open −16 (68-66-67-71=272) 4 strokes Ian Woosnam

Other wins (3)
  • 1983 SAAB Cup (Sweden)
  • 1985 Martini Cup (Sweden)
  • 1988 ESAB Open (Sweden)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1985 1986 1987 1988
The Open Championship T32 CUT T57 CUT

Note: Sellberg only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

References
  1. "Week 22 1989 Ending 4 June 1989" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  2. Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 2004. pp. 41, 224.
  3. "VM, Bragden i Lausanne". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 7. September 1982. pp. 36–39.
  4. "Golfens profiler". Swedish Golf Museum. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  5. "I siffror sett, nationellt". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 6. August 1981. p. 74.
  6. "I siffror sett, nationellt". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 7. August 1980. p. 77.
  7. Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 2004. pp. 180, 182, 188, 196, 197.
  8. Golf - Den Gröna Sporten [Golf - The green Sport] (in Swedish). 1979. p. 202.
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