Robert Karlsson became the first Swede – and only the 11th man in history – to reach the remarkable milestone of 600 appearances on the European Tour at the Made in Denmark on Thursday.
The 48 year old turned professional in 1989 but actually made his European Tour debut a year earlier, as a wide-eyed amateur, at the PLM Open in Sweden.
It didn’t take Karlsson long to grow up.
“I remember my first event very clearly,” smiled Karlsson, who still towers above the majority of his fellow pros at six feet six inches tall. “I remember it so well because I forgot to register to play in the tournament! I’ll never forget it – they came running out of the Tour Office after and asked me if I actually wanted to play!
“They said ‘well you need to actually register your name in the Tour Office to play the tournament’. That was my very first European Tour experience. Things have changed a little bit since then and I have managed to keep registering for tournaments over the years!”
With his golfing education well under way, Karlsson became a full time Tour member via the Qualifying School in 1990. He notched his first top five finish just eight months later at the 1991 Renault Belgian Open. It was five years before he would break into the winner’s circle, claiming his maiden European Tour title at the 1995 Turespaña Open Mediterrania.
Known for his passion and deep understanding of data and analytics, Karlsson was something of a pioneer in his approach to the game in the early days of his career. He remains a keen student of every aspect of the ‘science’ of golf and will bring his analytical mind to Europe’s forthcoming Ryder Cup Team as one of Thomas Bjørn’s Vice Captains in Paris in four weeks’ time.
His outstanding career has seen him win 11 European Tour events and finish in the top 20 in Race to Dubai seven times (to date). In 2008 he won twice and clinched then European Tour Order of Merit (now the Race to Dubai), holding off competition from then Open Champion Padraig Harrington, as well as Lee Westwood and Miguel Angel Jiménez.
As well as his individual successes, Karlsson was also a fantastic team player, helping Europe to a record-equalling Ryder Cup victory in 2006 before tasting defeat in golf’s greatest team event two years later. He also won the World Cup for Sweden in partnership with his great friend Henrik Stenson in 2008.
“It’s been an amazing journey, with 11 wins and so many amazing memories and experiences. I think any player who is lucky enough to win multiple times on Tour will tell you that the first one is always very special and very hard to beat in terms of memories,” he reflected.
“Mine was the Tourespaña Masters in Valencia. I remember all the Swedish players from the Tour were there to see the finish because we were all going on a bus to Jerez that night and they were basically waiting for me to celebrate. It was a fantastic way to win my first tournament and very special to share it with so many friends.
“All the wins are special. They all bring back great memories and are special in their own way. All the big tournaments where you played a role are special. I was also lucky enough to be part of Ryder Cup teams and winning those, and the World Cup for Sweden with Henrik, was amazing. These are experiences I will carry with me for the rest of my life and that is something extra special.”
