16 Things You Didn’t Know About Thomas Bjorn

Thomas Bjorn becomes the first Scandinavian Ryder Cup captain this year at Le Golf National

Things You Didn't Know About Thomas Bjorn
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Get to know the 2018 European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn

16 Things You Didn't Know About Thomas Bjorn

Thomas Bjorn captains the European Ryder Cup team at Le Golf National and becomes the first Scandinavian to do so.

Bjorn, the greatest Danish golfer of all time, has won 15 times on the European Tour and has made three Ryder Cup appearances.

Get to know the Dane a little better with these 16 things...

16 Things You Didn't Know About Thomas Bjorn:

1. He was born in Silkeborg, Denmark.

2. He lives in London and also has homes in Silkeborg and Gothenburg.

3. He is a huge Liverpool fan.

4. He started playing golf aged 6.

5. He used to chip golf balls into a birdbath in his back garden as a child and that birdbath now sits proudly at his home club Silkeborg Golf Club.

6. He has won over €20m on the European Tour.

7. He turned pro in 1993 off scratch.

8. He won four tournaments on the Challenge Tour in 1995 to earn his European Tour card.

9. He went on to win the 1996 European Tour Rookie of the Year award.

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10. Became the first Danish golfer to play in the Ryder Cup in 1997.

11. Known as 'The Great Dane'.

12. Finished T2nd at the 2003 Open at Royal St George's after infamously taking three out of a bunker on the par-3 16th in the final round to make a double bogey.

13. He was elected Chairman of the European Tour Tournament Committee in 2007 and held the position until 2016.

14. His older brother Soren was also a good player and the pair once represented Denmark together in the Eisenhower Trophy.

15. He is good friends with fellow Dane Thorbjorn Olesen.

16. His favourite courses are the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai and Loch Lomond in Scotland.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV