Mathias Grönberg

Mathias Grönberg

Mathias Grönberg, now 39 years of age, is a winner at every level of European amateur and professional golf.

He turned pro in December 1990 after having completed an impressive amateur career. Mathias enrolled into a Swedish golf academy at age 15 and quickly gained a spot on the Swedish Junior National Team. In 1988 he won the Swedish Boys Championship. He won the prestigious British Youth Championship at Southerness in 1990. During the same year Mathias contributed to the Swedish victory of the Eisenhower Trophy. Mathias was the individual winner of the Eisenhower Trophy.

Mathias turned pro after the Eisenhower Trophy as he felt confident to make it as a professional golfer. He played both on the Swedish Golf Tour(SGT) where he finished second on the Order of Merit, and on the Challenge Tour. During that year Mathias started in 18 events and had one victory and 8 top ten finishes.

Mathias secured a full membership on the European Tour 1994 season through the 1993 Q-school. Mathias finished tied for second in his first start(Madeira Island Open) as a full member of the European Tour and finished 86th place on the Volvo Order of Merit 1994.

The first European Tour victory came in 1995 at the Canon European Masters Switzerland. He won the tournament by two shots(Barry Lane and Constantino Rocca). Through the victory Mathias received a five year exemption to the European Tour. Mathias finished in 22nd place on the 1995 Volvo Order of Merit

1996 and 1997 was disappointing years for Mathias since he only finished 71 and 108 on the Volvo Order of Merit. He only managed four top ten finishes and they all came in 1996.

1998 could have been a rather disappointing year for also for Mathias if it was not for the Smurfit European Open victory at the K-Club in Ireland. Mathias winning margin was no less than 10 shots.This proved to be largest winning margin that year. The victory and five other top ten results moved Mathias to a final 10th place on the Volvo Order of Merit in 1998. Mathias great result that year also earned him a spot on the Swedish Dunhill Cup team and the Swedish World Cup of Golf team. Mathias stroke average for 1998 was 71.30.

Surprisingly 1999 was not a very good year. Mathias could not achieve the same results in 1999 as he did in 1998. He only managed to capture two top ten finishes and finished no better than 73 on the Volvo Order of Merit. Mathias stroke average for 1999 was 71.99.

2000 turned out to be a rather different year for Mathias. In the past he had played his best golf over the latter part of the tournament year, but 2000 was different. Mathias captured his third European Tour title in only his second entry of 2000. The third victory came at the prestigious Mercedes-Benz – South African Open Championship. The tournament has a rich history dating back to 1893, making it the second oldest National Open. Only the Open golf Championship has an older history(1860). Mathias followed up the victory with four top ten finishes and a 20th place on the Volvo Order of Merit. Mathias stroke average for 2000 was 71.58. In April 2000 Mathias began working with Wayne Warms at Due Process Stable GC. Wayne and Mathias are still working closely together.

In 2001 Mathias was for the second time a member of the Dunhill Cup team and the World Cup of Golf team.

In 2001 Mathias came very close to capturing his fourth European Tour title. Mathias fourth round score 68 at Woburn Golf and Country Club took him into a four-man play-off(Mathias, Thomas Levet, David Howell and Robert Karlsson) for the Victor Chandler British Masters title. Thomas Levet beat Mathias on the third extra hole. 2001 was a still good year for Mathias, despite the disappointing loss in the play-off. Mathias captured 6 top ten finishes and a 16th place on the Volvo Order of Merit. Mathias stroke average for 2001 was 70.79

In 2002 Mathias only played in 15 events due to the birth of his son Lars Van Roger. Mathias finished top 10 in 3 events and 84th place on the Volvo Order of Merit. His stroke average for 2002 was 71.04.

The fourth European Tour victory came in 2003 at the 60th Italian Open Telecom Italia. Mathias shot a 65 in the final round and won by two shots(Montgomery, Gonzalez and Lara). Mathias not only received $200 000 first price, he also received his weight in Grana Padona (parmesan) cheese.The victory, 3 other top 10 finishes and a T18 finish in the British Open helped Mathias finish in 20th place on the Order of Merit. Mathias stroke average on the European Tour 2003 was 71.25 Mathias ended his season with great success as he became the first European player ever to win medalist honor at the US PGA tour school final. He won the final by two shots (-20) over Danny Ellis.

2004 was not the best year in Mathias career. He struggled throughout the year and was not able to keep his card, despite finishing 9th twice on tour (Wachovia Championship and The International). Mathias finished 132nd on the money list and will hopefully be able to play 15-20 events on the PGA TOUR in 2005.

2005 was a very tough year for Mathias since he did not have the PGA ToUR card. He played 19 events on the PGA TOUR. He came very close to his first PGA TOUR victory at the B.C. Open but finished T6. Mathias was forced to enter PGA Q-school in order to get the card 2006. In the final he captured one of the 32 membership cards and as a result gained full membership to the PGA TOUR 2006.

In 2006 Mathias finished in the top 125 (No. 124) on the money list for the first time in his three-year PGA TOUR career...First-round co-leader with three others at The Honda Classic after a 5-under-par 67. Finished T16...Trailed eventual winner Stuart Appleby by two entering the final round of the Shell Houston Open. Final-round, 1-over 73 left him eight strokes back in solo fourth, the best finish of his career (75 starts), topping a T6 at the 2005 B.C. Open.

In 2007 Mathias earned full status on the PGA TOUR for the second consecutive year. He finished 125th on the PGA TOUR ranking. He recorded his best ever finish on the PGA TOUR (T3rd at the Texas Valero Open). That finish moved him from 150th to 130th on the rankings. Next week after he opened with 69-64 en route to a T7 finish at the Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. Jumped from No. 130 to No. 120 on the rankings.

Mathias stayed inside the top-125 on the rankings thanks to a T37 finish at the Childern's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart, the last full-field event of the season.

2008 was a very tough season for Mathias due to battling a severe foot injury. He missed getting inside top-125, but fought back strongly by getting through both the second- and final stage of Q-School in order to secure his PGA TOUR card for 2009 season.

In early 2009 Mathias still struggled with his foot injury, however in June he was back in action and on June 7th he won his first US event. Mathias won the Nationwide event, Melwood Prince George's County Open, by six shots. Later in the summer he almost captured his second Nationwide Tour title at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, but lost in a 9 hole playoff, matching the longest in Nationwide Tour history. Mathias finished top-25 on the Nationwide Tour rankings and automatically received the PGA TOUR card for 2010.

Mathias lost his PGA TOUR card in the 2010 season after failing to finish top-125. He finished T-3 at the Reno Tahoe Open (PGA event), which is a career best finish. In 2011 Mathias will play full time on the Nationwide Tour in order to try and re-capture full playing rights on the PGA TOUR.

In 2011 Mathias played full time on the Nationwide Tour but failed to finish in the top rankings. During the fall he played the PGA TOUR Q-School final where he finished top 35 and received full Nationwide Tour membership. In 2012 Mathias will continue to play full time on the Nationwide Tour with the goal to make it back on the the PGA TOUR.

---

TOUR VICTORIES

2009 Melwood Prince George´s County Open
2003 Italian Open
2003 PGA TOUR Q-School final
2000 South African Open
1998 European Open
1995 European Masters

---

TEAMS

PROFESSIONAL
Alfred Dunhill Cup 1998, 2000
World Cup 1998, 2000
Seve Trophy 2002

AMATEUR
Eisenhower Trophy 1990 (winning team and individual winner)
Boys, Youths, Seniors 1987-1990