- Jesper Parnevik
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Jesper Parnevik 
Personal information Full name Jesper Bo Parnevik Nickname Spaceman Born 7 March 1965
Stockholm, SwedenHeight 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Nationality 
SwedenResidence Jupiter, Florida, U.S. Career College Palm Beach Junior College Turned professional 1986 Current tour(s) PGA Tour
European TourProfessional wins 14 Number of wins by tour PGA Tour 5 European Tour 4 Best results in Major Championships Masters Tournament T20: 2001 U.S. Open T14: 1998 The Open Championship 2nd/T2: 1994, 1997 PGA Championship T5: 1996 Jesper Bo Parnevik (Swedish pronunciation: [jɛspər paɳəviːk]; born 7 March 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer. He spent 38 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 2000 and 2001.[1]
Contents
Early years
Parnevik was born and brought up Botkyrka, a southern suburb of Stockholm, Sweden.[2] He is the son of the Swedish entertainer Bo Parnevik. At age 15, Parnevik spent 10 days in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina getting a sense of life in the United States. He moved to Palm Beach County, Florida to attended Palm Beach Junior College in Lake Worth on a golf scholarship.[3]
Career
Parnevik turned professional in 1986 and scored four wins in his early years on the European Tour. Based in Florida, he joined the PGA Tour in the mid-90s, subsequently winning five events. His playing career also includes three Ryder Cup appearances - in 1997, 1999, and 2002. He has twice been a runner-up in The Open — in 1994 and 1997. His career best world ranking of seventh, which he attained on 14 May 2000, was the highest world ranking achieved by a Swedish golfer until Henrik Stenson reached the top five in February 2007.[4]
In late 2000, Parnevik underwent hip surgery after speaking with Greg Norman who had undergone similar surgery.[5]
Parnevik finished second in the Valero Texas Open in October 2007, losing to Justin Leonard in a playoff. In 2009, after a tie for 17th finish at the SAS Masters in Sweden, Parnevik underwent further hip surgery in Vail, Colorado, United States[6] which cut short his 2009 season on the PGA Tour. He also cited the hip injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament ("Q-School") in December 2009.
In 2010, Parnevik missed cuts in his first three tournaments and had to withdraw again after a first round 68 at the Northern Trust Open because of an ailing back. He had emergency surgery where it was discovered that he had a broken lumbar vertebrae that might be career ending. He is seeking advice from a physiotherapist.[7]
Parnevik is currently playing the 2011 PGA Tour season on a fully exempt status for his Top 50 All-Time Earnings ranking. He was allowed to reuse this one-time exemption after being able to play only five tournaments in 2010.[8]
Style
Parnevik is known for his distinctive and eccentric taste in clothes and fashion as well as his playing achievements. His on-course trademark was the upturned bill on his baseball cap. While on the European Ryder Cup team, he received a customized team cap with the Ryder Cup logo on the bottom of the bill instead of the front, so that it could be seen with the bill turned up. He has since stopped wearing the flipped-bill hat, but retains a flamboyant sense of fashion, such as disco-style purple trousers and other golf apparel designed by Johan Lindeberg. He has been politely described as "eclectic", and has been known to change outfits at the halfway stage of a round of tournament golf. Beginning in 2006, one of his new on-course fashion statements was a necktie worn under a vest. He is also known for eating volcanic dust as a dietary supplement.[9] Parnevik's nickname on tour is "Spaceman".
Life outside golf
Parnevik has an eclectic acting career including a cameo in the 2007 comedy, Who's Your Caddy,[10] in which he plays himself. An allegedly thoughtful historian in his free time, and a man with varied tastes, he was recently asked with whom he'd like to have dinner. He quickly replied that it would have to be a choice between Albert Einstein and Elvis Presley. When told he could only have one, he shot back, "OK, Elvis Einstein."
Parnevik is credited with having introduced fellow professional golfer Tiger Woods to Swedish au pair Elin Nordegren (previously employed by Parnevik), whom Woods would eventually marry. Parnevik subsequently stated in 2009 that he regrets his responsibility for this introduction after reports of Woods's infidelity surfaced that year.[11]
Professional wins (14)
European Tour wins (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
VictoryRunner(s)-up 1 10 Jul 1993 Bell's Scottish Open -9 (64-66-70-71=271) 5 strokes 
Payne Stewart2 6 Aug 1995 Volvo Scandinavian Masters -18 (67-67-69-67=270) 5 strokes 
Colin Montgomerie3 15 Sep 1996 Trophée Lancôme -12 (66-69-66-67=268) 5 strokes Colin Montgomerie4 2 Aug 1998 Volvo Scandinavian Masters -11 (67-65-71-70=273) 3 strokes 
Darren ClarkePGA Tour wins (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of
VictoryRunner(s)-up 1 18 Jan 1998 Phoenix Open -15 (68-68-66-67=269) 3 strokes Tommy Armour III, Brent Geiberger,
Steve Pate, Tom Watson2 25 Apr 1999 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic -23 (65-63-67-70=265) 2 strokes Jim Furyk3 23 Jan 2000 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic -27 (69-67-66-64-65=331) 1 stroke 
Rory Sabbatini4 14 May 2000 GTE Byron Nelson Classic -16 (70-65-68-66=269) Playoff Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson5 11 Mar 2001 Honda Classic -18 (65-67-66-72=270) 1 stroke Mark Calcavecchia, 
Geoff Ogilvy,
Craig PerksOther wins (5)
- 1988 Ramlosa Trophy, Odensa Open (both Sweden), Open Passing Shot (France), European Tour Qualifying School
- 1990 Swedish Open International Stroke Play
Results in major championships
Tournament 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP T21 T31 CUT U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP T48 T14 T17 The Open Championship T21 2 T24 T44 T2 T4 T10 PGA Championship DNP CUT T20 T5 T45 CUT T10 Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 The Masters T40 T20 T39 DNP DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP U.S. Open CUT T30 T54 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP T74 The Open Championship T36 T9 T28 DQ DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP PGA Championship T51 T13 CUT T34 CUT T28 CUT DNP DNP DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DQ = Disqualified
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Sweden): 1984, 1986
- St. Andrews Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 1986
Professional
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1997 (winners), 1999, 2002 (winners)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Sweden): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
- World Cup (representing Sweden): 1994, 1995
- Europcar Cup: 1988 (winners)
See also
References
- ^ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
- ^ Birth info from article in Allehanda.se, 14 March 2010 (referenced 10 July 2011) (Swedish)
- ^ Rubenstein, Lorne (August 9, 1998). "Parnevik may soon be a major player". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=19980809&id=PqcaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hS4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6416,7749894.
- ^ Henrik Stenson Wins the WGC-Accenure Match Play and Reaches World Number 5, Official World Golf Ranking site, 26 February 2007.
- ^ Parnevik to undergo 'Norman' hip surgery
- ^ Parnevik's hip surgery will likely end his season
- ^ Parnevik has broken vertebrae, career in jeopardy
- ^ Parnevik attempts comeback
- ^ http://golf.com/gdc/news/article.asp?id=31387
- ^ Who's Your Caddy - at IMDB.com
- ^ Parnevik regrets Woods introduction
External links
- Jesper Parnevik at the PGA Tour official site
- Jesper Parnevik at the European Tour official site
- Jesper Parnevik at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
European Ryder Cup team – 1997 Thomas Bjørn · Darren Clarke · Nick Faldo · Ignacio Garrido · Per-Ulrik Johansson · Bernhard Langer · Colin Montgomerie · José María Olazábal · Jesper Parnevik · Costantino Rocca · Lee Westwood · Ian Woosnam
Seve Ballesteros (non-playing captain)
Won: 14.5 – 13.5
Miguel Ángel Martín qualified for the team, but was forced to withdraw though injury, with his place being taken by José María Olazábal.
European Ryder Cup team – 1999 Darren Clarke · Andrew Coltart · Sergio García · Pádraig Harrington · Miguel Ángel Jiménez · Paul Lawrie · Colin Montgomerie · José María Olazábal · Jesper Parnevik · Jarmo Sandelin · Jean van de Velde · Lee Westwood
Mark James (non-playing captain)
Lost: 13.5 – 14.5European Ryder Cup team – 2002 Thomas Bjørn · Darren Clarke · Niclas Fasth · Pierre Fulke · Sergio García · Pádraig Harrington · Bernhard Langer · Paul McGinley · Colin Montgomerie · Jesper Parnevik · Phillip Price · Lee Westwood
Sam Torrance (non-playing captain)
Won: 15.5 – 12.5Categories:- Swedish golfers
- European Tour golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- People from Stockholm
- People from Palm Beach County, Florida
- 1965 births
- Living people
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