Espen Kofstad Retires From Pro Golf Aged 37

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published 24 October 2024

Former Olympian Espen Kofstad has announced his retirement from professional tournament golf aged just 37.

The Norwegian played 127 times on the DP World Tour and collected €781,718 in prize money but never managed to get over the line and claim a tournament victory.

Kofstad did win four times on the Challenge Tour and topped the money list in 2012 to earn his DP World Tour card. He reached a career-high of 180 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

He took part in golf's return to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and made his PGA Tour debut in 2022 at the Barbasol Championship, when he finished T13 before following up with a T16 at the Barracuda Championship the following week.

Kofstad has had his problems with injuries throughout his career though, and after withdrawing from last month's Open de Espana he has now decided he's had enough of professional tournament golf.

"Thank you tournament golf for everything," Kofstad wrote on Instagram.

"This feels like the right time to move on and look for something new. Thank you to everyone that has helped me along the way!"

Kofstad further explained his decision to Norsk Golf, saying that after playing through the pain of all his injury problems, he decided the time was right.

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He still hopes to stay in golf in some form, but felt he had achieved his childhood goals of making it onto the professional tour.

"Enough is enough. I have decided to quit," Kofstad told Norsk Golf.

"I still love golf. But I have been thinking about putting competitive golf on the shelf for quite some time.

"I have tried to set myself goals. But I don't find the same driving force as before. And then I would rather use my skills and experience in other areas."

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.

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