Sweet Swinging Swedes

Filed in archive Golf Wanderings on March 2, 2007

Courtesy: PGATour.com

We all realize just how much the game of golf is truly a global sport now.

There is a professional event somewhere in the world every week of the year, particularly when the PGA Tour has been put to bed for the season and the made-for-TV events are over.

Heck, a new season of the European Tour actually begins every previous November. So the 2007 season, for example, began in November, 2006!

So, fine. There are pros playing from all over the world.

But why are there so many Swedes?

If one ties geography to the individual, it's easy to see why Americans dominated the game for so many years. In much of the U.S., a player can play year round. Certainly, he or she can practice year round. And let's not forget that great college system.

But it seems that, apart from world champion rally drivers (which makes eminent sense when you think about Swedish winters), the Scandinavian country also cranks out pro golfers. By the dozens.

I counted 37 Swedish golfers playing on either the PGA, Nationwide or LPGA Tours on a Wikipedia site and I have no idea if that is up to date or not. 26 of the names I recognized instantly.

So, a country closer to the arctic circle than Florida is to the equator currently has at least 26 recognized names playing the game around the world. And winning.

If you take the same geographical argument, why, then, aren't there a couple of dozen recognizable Canadians on the tours. A handful play on the LPGA Tour, a couple have their PGA Tour cards and a smattering are on the Nationwide Tour.

But in Sweden, they have 37! And more keep coming!!

There are no Finns that I know of. And only a few Danes and Norwegians.

Let's look further abroad. How many Italians can you name, other than Constantino Rocca, off the top of your head? Yet, you can play year round in Italy.

Spain represents well with Sergio, Miguel Angel and Jose Maria and I'm sure there are some others. Seve, of course.

France is pretty well represented, too. Another country where golf is a year round game.

I suspect it has nothing to do with where someone is born and grows up.

Nor does it have anything to do with climate.

But, having eliminated those points, what DOES it have to do with? At least, where the Swedes are concerned?

It beats me. If you know, feel free to shed some light on the subject!