Julia Engström

Julia Engström
Personal information
Full nameJulia Anna Margareta Engström
Born (2001-03-27) 27 March 2001 (age 23)
Bjärred, Sweden
Sporting nationality Sweden
ResidenceHalmstad, Sweden
Career
CollegeStockholm University
Turned professional2018
Current tour(s)Ladies European Tour
Former tour(s)LET Access Series
Professional wins4
Number of wins by tour
Ladies European Tour2
ALPG Tour1
Other2
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron ChampionshipDNP
Women's PGA C'shipCUT: 2020
U.S. Women's OpenCUT: 2016
Women's British OpenCUT: 2016, 2018, 2020
Evian ChampionshipCUT: 2016
Achievements and awards
LET Rookie of the Year2018
Medal record
European Golf Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Gleneagles Mixed team

Julia Anna Margareta Engström (born 27 March 2001) is a Swedish professional golfer. A golf prodigy, she became the youngest winner of the British Ladies Amateur, at age 15. She won twice on the Ladies European Tour as a teenager, and was the 2018 LET Rookie of the Year. At 21, she retired due to spinal injuries.

Amateur career

Engström was introduced to golf by her parents aged two, and she had her first golf set at age four. Watching the 2007 Solheim Cup take place in her home town of Halmstad at age six inspired her, and by the age of thirteen she was a scratch player.[1]

In 2014, at age 13, Engström made her debut appearance on the Ladies European Tour after receiving an invitation to play in the Helsingborg Open at Vasatorp Golf Club.[2] Linda Wessberg, member of the 2007 Solheim Cup European team, was at the time out of action with a broken arm, and acted as her mentor.[1]

In 2016, at age 15, Engström became the youngest player to win the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship,[3] earning her starts at the 2016 U.S. Women's Open, the 2016 Women's British Open, and the 2016 Evian Championship.[4][5][6]

Professional career

LET Success

In December 2017, aged 16, Engström qualified for the 2018 Ladies European Tour.[7] She finished 17th on the Order of Merit and won the 2018 LET Rookie of the Year award.[8] She won her first event as a professional at the 2018 Ladies Finnish Open, and followed it up with winning the 2018 LET Access Series season finale at El Prat, Spain.[9]

Engström ended the 2019 season strongly, finishing top five in three of the last five tournaments. At the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in December she held a seven stroke lead going into the final round, but finished third after a final round of 74. She soon made a redemption for her loss however, as she overcame a five-shot deficit coming into the final round at the Women's NSW Open in March 2020 to clinch her maiden LET victory by two strokes. With the victory Engström moved to the top of the Race to Costa Del Sol leaderboard.[10]

Engström secured her second LET victory of 2020 at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, after carding a hole-in-one en route to a second round 64 (−7).[11] With the win she moved to the top of the LET 2021 Solheim Cup Points leaderboard, just ahead of Christine Wolf and Emily Kristine Pedersen.[12] With her two victories, Engström finished second in the 2020 LET Order of Merit, behind Pedersen.

Injury

Engström then suffered a spinal disc herniation and was sidelined for the entire 2021 season due to her injury.[13] Attempting a comeback in 2022, she finished tied 11th at the Amundi German Masters, before succumbing to her ongoing injury. In early 2023, at age 21, she announced an indefinite timeout from golf, and a plan to attend law school at Stockholm University.[14]

Amateur wins

  • 2013 Skandia Cup Riksfinal F13
  • 2014 Finnish International Junior Championship F14, Skandia Cup Riksfinal F14, Skandia Tour Elit Girls #3,
  • 2016 British Ladies Amateur

Source:[15]

Professional wins (4)

Ladies European Tour wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning
score
To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 1 Mar 2020 Women's NSW Open^ 69-69-68-68=274 −14 2 strokes Belgium Manon De Roey
2 19 Sep 2020 Lacoste Ladies Open de France 70-64-72=206 −7 1 stroke France Céline Herbin
Argentina Magdalena Simmermacher

^Co-sanctioned with the ALPG Tour

LET Access Series wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning
score
To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 9 Jun 2018 Viaplay Ladies Finnish Open 71-72-71=214 −2 Playoff Malaysia Ainil Johani Bakar
Sweden Emma Nilsson
Finland Sanna Nuutinen
Finland Ursula Wikström
2 10 Nov 2018 Santander Golf Tour LETAS El Prat 76-71-66=213 −3 1 stroke Spain Mireia Prat

Results in LPGA majors

Results not in chronological order before 2018.

Tournament 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
ANA Inspiration
U.S. Women's Open CUT
Women's PGA Championship CUT
Women's British Open CUT CUT CUT
The Evian Championship CUT NT

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

References

  1. ^ a b Julia Engström, 13, set for LET debut at Helsingborg Open, Ladies European Tour, 3 September 2014
  2. ^ The Helsingborg Open Archived 2015-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Ladies European Tour, 7 September 2014
  3. ^ Nichols, Beth Ann (7 July 2016). "At 15, Julia Engstrom looks to take next step toward golf career at U.S. Women's Open". Golfweek.
  4. ^ 2016 U.S. Women's Open, LPGA, 10 July 2016
  5. ^ 2016 Women's British Open, Ladies European Tour, 31 July 2016
  6. ^ 2016 Evian Championship, Ladies European Tour, 11 September 2016
  7. ^ "American Casey Danielson wins Lalla Aicha Tour School". LET. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Julia Engström wins Rookie of the Year Award". Ladies European Tour. 25 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Julia Engstrom triumphs in the Santander Golf Tour LETAS El Prat". Santander Golf Tour. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Engström magic seals Women's NSW Open crown". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Ace Engstrom Takes Pole Position". LET. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  12. ^ "LET Solheim Cup Points 2021". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Swedish star to miss U.S. open". Expressen. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  14. ^ Hansson, Bo (25 January 2023). "Julia Engström sätter golfkarriären på paus" [Julia Engström puts her golf career on hold]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Julia Engstrom". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  16. ^ "European Girls' Team Championship". European Golf Association. Retrieved 21 December 2017.