Even after this, it’s hard to tell these Swedish golfers apart
God bless Jesper Parnevik. With his distinctive headgear and George Hamilton tan he always stood out in golf. Unfortunately, his Swedish successors have done little to separate themselves. All are tall, slim, quiet, and have yet to win a major. With two of them – Peter Hanson and Henrik Stenson — on the leaderboard in the 76th Masters, it’s time to try to figure out who’s who.
Thomas Bjorn – The only surprising footnote discovered from researching this item is that the 6-foot-2 Bjorn, 41, isn’t Swedish. He’s from Denmark. But he still fits this category of tall, indistinguishable golfers of Nordic dissent. Bjorn is best known for needing three shots to get out of a bunker when he had the British Open lead at Royal St. George’s, paving the way for Ben Curtis. He has 13 European Tour wins. Best Major Finish: T2 British Open (2000, 2003), PGA (2005).
Fredrik Jacobson – The 6-foot-1 Jacobson, 37, has three wins in Europe and one on the PGA Tour, winning the Transitions last year. His best year was last season as he won $2.5 million and finished sixth on the PGA Tour in putting (plus .65 strokes gained). Best Major Finish: T5 U.S. Open (2003)
Peter Hanson – The 6-foot-3 Hanson, 34, has four wins on the European Tour. He joined the PGA Tour for the first time in his career last month. Went 1-2 in the 2010 Ryder Cup. Best Major Finish: T7 U.S. Open (2011).
Robert Karlsson – The 6-foot-5 Karlsson, 42, reached a World Golf Ranking of No. 6 in 2008, the same season he became the first Swede to win the European Order of Merit (money title). Karlsson has 11 wins on the European Tour, none on the PGA, where he has lost in playoffs twice. Best Major Finish: T4 PGA (2011), U.S. Open (2008).
Henrik Stenson – The 6-foot-1 Stenson, 36, is best known for stripping down to his skivvies and his golf glove to hit a shot from the water at the WGC-CA Championship. Stenson reached No. 4 in the world in 2007, highest ever for a Swede. He has six wins in Europe and two on the PGA Tour. Best Major Finish: T3 British Open (2008, 2010).
