Thorbjorn Olesen Facts: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About The Danish Golfer

Thorbjorn Olesen has been a stalwart of the DP World Tour since gaining his card in 2011. The Dane has since gone on to become one of Denmark's finest-ever golfers, winning eight times on Tour and making his Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018. Get to know him better with these facts...

Thorbjorn Olesen Facts

1. His full name is Jacob Thorbjorn Olesen.

2. His middle name, Thorbjorn, translates to 'Thunder Bear' in Danish.

3. Olesen was born in Fureso, Denmark, just north of Copenhagen.

4. For many years, he went by his first name Jacob but he then dropped his given name and went with his middle name because it is far less common in Denmark.

5. Olesen turned pro in 2008 off +3.

6. He is a member of the ultra-exclusive Queenwood Golf Club in Surrey.

7. Olesen won four times on the Nordic League between 2008 and 2009, at one stage even winning in consecutive weeks in January 2009.

8. He finished fourth in the 2008 Scandinavian Masters aged 18 while a member of the Nordic League.

9. He is married to his wife, Lauren. The couple have two kids, Cooper and Sienna.

10. He is good friends with former European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn.

11. He is a football fan and supports FC Copenhagen and Manchester United.

12. As well as being a soccer fan, his other interests away from golf include music, movies, theatre and skiing.

13. On his way to joining the DP World Tour for the first time in 2011, Olesen won an event on the Challenge Tour called 'The Princess.' It was his debut campaign in the second tier of European golf, and he finished third in the Order of Merit.

14. He won the World Cup of Golf for Denmark in 2016 with Soren Kjeldsen and also won the inaugural GolfSixes for Denmark with Lucas Bjerregaard.

15. Olesen represented Denmark at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing T30th, and at the Paris 2024 Olympics, ending T14th.

16. His best finish in a Major championship came at the 2013 Masters, where he finished T6th.

17. The Dane made his debut at the 2018 Ryder Cup, which Europe won 17.5-10.5. Olesen impressed in Sunday singles, convincingly beating Jordan Spieth 5&4.

18. Olesen ended a four-year winless streak at the British Masters in 2022, winning by one stroke over Sebastian Soderberg.

19. He is the second-most successful Danish golfer on the DP World Tour with eight wins after Thomas Bjorn who has 15. His first arrived at the 2012 Sicilian Open while his most recent was the 2024 Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

20. Olesen has also competed on the PGA Tour over several seasons, with his best finish in a regular season event coming at the 2018 WGC Invitational where he finished T3rd.

THORBJORN OLESEN BIO

THORBJORN OLESEN DP WORLD TOUR WINS