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Liselotte Neumann

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Liselotte Neumann
Neumann in 2008
Personal information
Full nameLiselotte Maria Neumann
NicknameLotta
Born (1966-05-20) 20 May 1966 (age 58)
Finspång, Sweden
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Sporting nationality Sweden
ResidenceSolana Beach, California, U.S.
PartnerEvelyn Orley
Career
Turned professional1985
Current tour(s)Legends Tour
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour (1988–2010)
Ladies European Tour (Lifetime Member)
Professional wins37
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour13
Ladies European Tour11
LPGA of Japan Tour5
Ladies Asian Golf Tour1
ALPG Tour1
Other9
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 1)
Chevron Championship2nd: 2002
Women's PGA C'ship2nd/T2: 1992, 1999
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 1988
du Maurier Classic2nd: 1995, 1997
Women's British OpenT5: 2005
Achievements and awards
LPGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		1988
Ladies European Tour
Order of Merit		1994
Vivien Saunders Trophy
(LET scoring ave.)		1994
Swedish Golfer of the Year1985, 1988, 1994

Liselotte Maria "Lotta" Neumann (born 20 May 1966) is a Swedish professional golfer. When she recorded her first LPGA Tour win, by claiming the 1988 U.S. Women's Open title, Neumann also became the first Swedish golfer, male or female, to win a major championship.[1]

Early years

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Neumann was born and grew up in Finspång, Sweden. Her father Rune was a former football player and coach of a local girls football team. After practicing different sports and supported by her father, her mother Ingegerd and her brother Mats, Neumann began playing golf at the local 9-hole course at Finspång Golf Club. She showed early promise and won the unofficial national youth championships, Colgate Cup, at three different levels, as a 12, 14, and 16-year-old. Neumann has later given a lot of credit, for her successful career, to her local coach since her early years, Pierre Karlström. Neumann also has showed her loyalty to her first golf club by, three times during the peak of her career in the 1990s, inviting some of the female golf stars of the world, Laura Davies, Karrie Webb, Kelly Robbins and Jane Geddes among others, for exhibition matches in Finspång.[2]

Amateur career

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In 1981, only 15 years of age, she sensationally won the Swedish International Amateur Stroke-Play Championship, one of three major amateur tournaments in Sweden at the time, at Jönköping Golf Club, with a record aggregate of 282 and a 9-stroke margin. She bettered her personal 72-hole best with 30 strokes and beat the whole Swedish amateur national team, some of whom had not even heard of Neumann before the tournament. At the time of her triumph, she wasn't even qualified for the Swedish national junior team, which, the same summer, won the European Lady Junior's Team Championship.[3]

The year after, she successfully defended her stroke-play title and, at 16 years old, was a member of the national team at the Espirito Santo Trophy in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1983, she finished second in Orange Bowl International Junior Championship in Coral Gables, Florida. In 1984, she was the Swedish Match Play champion (tournament for first time open for professionals), member of the winning Swedish team at the European Lady Junior's Team Championship at Campo de Golf El Saler, Valencia, Spain, and medalist at the 36-hole qualifying competition in the European Ladies Team Championship, in Waterloo, Belgium. After another appearance at the Espirito Santo Trophy in Hong Kong in late 1984, she turned professional at the beginning of 1985, not yet 19 years old.[4]

Professional career

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She collected her first professional win at the Pierre Robert Cup, over 54 holes at Falsterbo Golf Club, in Sweden in May 1985 and played on the Ladies European Tour (at the time named the WPGA Tour) the second half of the year, where she won twice. At the Höganäs Ladies Open at Mölle Golf Club in Sweden, she became the youngest ever winner on the WPGA Tour.

She led the 1986 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit for most of the season, with eight straight top three finishes, but lost the lead to Laura Davies at the last tournament, the Spanish Open. While Davies won the tournament, Neumann finished 27th, her worst of the season. In the rankings, Neumann finished second, earning £494 less than Davies. The same year the ladies' Swedish Golf Tour get started with seven tournaments and Neumann was its first Order of Merit winner.

Neumann became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1988, after tying fourth at the LPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament in late 1987.

At the 1988 U.S. Women's Open at Baltimore Country Club, Five Farms, Baltimore, Maryland, July 21-24, at 22 years of age, Neumann led wire-to-wire in just her 16th LPGA Tour tournament, setting a new tournament first-round record 67 and 72-hole record 277, becoming the first Swedish major winner, male or female, as well as the first Swedish tournament winner on the LPGA Tour or the PGA Tour. She became the fifth non-U.S.-winner and the second youngest (by two months to Catherine Lacoste in 1967) in the 43-year history of the championship.[5] She was voted 1988 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year and earned her second Swedish Golfer of the Year award.

In total she won thirteen times on the LPGA Tour. The 1988 U.S. Women's Open remains her only LPGA major, but she won the Women's British Open in 1994, when it was recognised as a major championship by the Ladies European Tour, but not by the LPGA Tour. She also finished second five times in three other major championships.

Her best finish on the LPGA Tour money list is third in 1994. She also finished top ten in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Throughout her career on the LPGA Tour, she continued to play on the Ladies European Tour, as well as in Asia and Australia. She won five times in Japan and the 1995 Women's Australian Open. Her victory in the 1994 Women's British Open made her the fifth player to win both British and U.S. Open titles, joining Laura Davies, Jane Geddes, Betsy King and Patty Sheehan. This accomplishment was later also achieved by Alison Nicholas, Pak Se-ri, Karrie Webb, Inbee Park and Ariya Jutanugarn. In 1994 Neumann topped the LET Order of Merit, was voted Golf World's Most Improved Golfer and awarded Swedish Golfer of the Year for the third time.

Neumann played in the European Solheim Cup team against United States, six times in a row, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000. She captained the team to victory in August, 2013 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado, the first time team Europe won the cup on foreign soil, and the first time Europe won consecutive cups. Neumann won the Women's World Cup of Golf for Sweden in 2006 with Annika Sörenstam.

Awards and honors

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In 1984, Neumann earned Elite Sign No. 78 by the Swedish Golf Federation, on the basis of national team appearances and national championship performances.[6][7]

She was appointed 1988 Swedish Sportswomen of the Year by newspaper Aftonbladet and the Swedish Sports Confederation.[8]

Besides being awarded Swedish Golfer of the Year three times, 1985, 1988 and 1994, Neumann received the Golden Club by the Swedish Golf Federation in 1998, as the tenth person, for great contributions to Swedish golf.[4]

In 1998, she also became an honorary member of the PGA of Sweden.[4]

She was recognized during the LPGA's 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA's top 50 players and teachers.

On 7 June 2006, the Ladies European Tour announced that Neumann has earned Lifetime Membership of the LET, at the time a feat achieved by six other golfers, Helen Alfredsson, Laura Davies, Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, Alison Nicholas, Dale Reid and Annika Sorenstam.

In May 2022, Neumann was elected, as its fourth inductee, decided by the board of the Swedish Golf Federation, into the Swedish Golf Hall of Fame, inaugurated the same year.[9]

Amateur wins

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Professional wins (37)

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LPGA Tour wins (13)

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Legend
LPGA Tour major championships (1)
Other LPGA Tour (12)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 24 Jul 1988 U.S. Women's Open −7 (67-72-69-69=277) 3 strokes United States Patty Sheehan
2 10 Nov 1991 Mazda Japan Classic1 −5 (70-72-69=211) 2 strokes United States Caroline Keggi
United States Dottie Pepper
3 12 Jun 1994 Minnesota LPGA Classic −11 (68-71-66=205) 2 strokes Japan Hiromi Kobayashi
4 12 Aug 1994 Weetabix Women's British Open2 −14 (71-67-70-72=280) 3 strokes United States Dottie Pepper
Sweden Annika Sörenstam
5 2 Oct 1994 GHP Heartland Classic −10 (70-71-67-70=278) 3 strokes United States Elaine Crosby
United States Pearl Sinn
6 14 Jan 1996 Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions −13 (67-66-72-70=275) 11 strokes Australia Karrie Webb
7 17 Mar 1996 PING/Welch's Championship (Tucson) −12 (68-71-69-68=276) 1 stroke United States Cathy Johnston-Forbes
8 6 Jun 1996 Edina Realty LPGA Classic −9 (67-73-67=207) Playoff United States Brandie Burton
Sweden Carin Koch
England Suzanne Strudwick
9 21 Sep 1997 Welch's Championship −12 (67-70-69-70=276) 3 strokes Canada Nancy Harvey
10 9 Nov 1997 Toray Japan Queens Cup1 −11 (68-70-67=205) 1 stroke Canada Lorie Kane
11 22 Mar 1998 Standard Register PING −13 (69-67-69-74=279) Playoff United States Rosie Jones
12 26 Apr 1998 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship −14 (67-65-70=202) 3 strokes Canada Lori Kane
United States Dottie Pepper
13 10 Oct 2004 Asahi Ryokuken International Championship −15 (68-68-69-68=273) 3 strokes South Korea Grace Park

LPGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1988 Mazda Japan Classic1 United States Patty Sheehan Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1996 Oldsmobile Classic United States Michelle McGann Lost to birdie on third extra hole
3 1996 Edina Realty LPGA Classic United States Brandie Burton
Sweden Carin Koch
England Suzanne Strudwick 		Won with birdie on third extra hole
4 1998 Standard Register PING United States Rosie Jones Won with birdie on third extra hole

Major championships is shown in bold.

Ladies European Tour wins (11)

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Legend
LET major championships (1)
Other LET (10)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 25 Aug 1985 Höganäs Ladies Open[11] −1 (67-74-71-71=283) 1 stroke England Laura Davies
2 7 Sep 1985 IBM Ladies' European Open[11] −2 (73-70-75-72=290) 2 strokes England Susan Moorcraft
England Cathy Panton
3 10 Aug 1986 BMW Ladies' German Open (1)[12] −6 (71-72-72-67=282) 2 strokes England Alison Nicholas
4 17 May 1987 Letting French Open[13] −7 (71-77-72-73=293) 5 strokes England Laura Davies
5 29 May 1988 BMW Ladies' German Open (2)[14] +2 (74-71-71-71=290) 1 stroke France Marie-Laure de Lorenzi
6 18 Aug 1991 IBM Ladies' Open (1)[15] −10 (69-70-69-74=282) 3 strokes France Marie-Laure de Lorenzi
7 4 Jul 1993 Hennessy Ladies' Cup (1)[16] −8 (72-71-69-68=280) Playoff England Laura Davies
8 3 Jul 1994 Hennessy Ladies' Cup (2)[17] −11 (69-71-72-65=277) 1 stroke England Alison Nicholas
9 12 Aug 1994 Weetabix Women's British Open2 −14 (71-67-70-72=280) 3 strokes United States Dottie Pepper
Sweden Annika Sörenstam
10 21 Aug 1994 Trygg Hansa Ladies' Open (2)[18] −18 (69-67-71-67=274) 4 strokes Australia Corinne Dibnah
11 10 Sep 1995 Trygg Hansa Ladies' Open (3) −11 (70-71-68-72=281) 1 stroke Sweden Annika Sörenstam

Ladies European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1993 Hennessy Ladies Cup England Laura Davies Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1996 Hennessy Cup Sweden Helen Alfredsson
England Trish Johnson 		Lost after eliminated on first extra hole
Alfredsson won with birdie on second extra hole

Note: Neumann won the Women's British Open once after it was co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour in 1994, but before it was recognized as a major championship on the LPGA Tour in 2001.

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (5)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin
of victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 10 Nov 1991 Mazda Japan Classic1 −5 (70-72-69=211) 2 strokes United States Caroline Keggi
United States Dottie Pepper
2 10 Oct 1993 Treasure Invitational[19] −10 (69-70-70-69=278) 5 strokes United States Juli Inkster
3 12 Oct 1997 Takara World Invitational[20] −6 (69-68-73-72=282) 2 strokes Japan Yuko Motoyama
4 9 Nov 1997 Toray Japan Queens Cup1[20] −11 (68-70-67=205) 1 stroke Canada Lorie Kane
5 10 May 1998 Gunze Cup World Ladies Golf Tournament[21] −6 (75-70-65-72=282) Playoff South Korea Ko Woo-soon
South Korea Lee Young-mee

LPGA of Japan Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1988 Mazda Japan Classic1 United States Patty Sheehan Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1998 Gunze Cup World Ladies Golf Tournament[22] South Korea Ko Woo-soon
South Korea Lee Young-mee 		Won with par on third extra hole

ALPG Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runners-up
1 12 Nov 1995 Holden Women's Australian Open[23] −9 (67-74-71-71=283) Playoff United States Jane Geddes
Sweden Annika Sörenstam

ALPG Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1995 Holden Women's Australian Open United States Jane Geddes
Sweden Annika Sörenstam 		Won with birdie on third extra hole
Geddes eliminated by birdie on second extra hole

Ladies Asian Golf Circuit wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runners-up
1 28 Feb 1987 Singapore Ladies Open[24] −2 (71-75-68=214) 5 strokes Japan Fusako Nagata
England Beverley New

Other wins (5)

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Notes

  • 1Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and the Japan LPGA Tour
  • 2Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour

Legends Tour wins (4)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 May 4, 2014 Walgreens Charity Classic −7 (69-68=137) Playoff United States Danielle Ammaccapane
2 Nov 7, 2015 Walgreens Charity Championship −8 (68-68=136) 3 strokes United States Nicole Jeray
3 May 21, 2017 Red Nose Day Walgreens Charity Championship −4 (68) 1 stroke United States Juli Inkster
4 Mar 25, 2018 ANA Inspiration Legends Day
(with Kynadie Adams and Hailey Borja) 		−10 (62) 1 stroke France Patricia Meunier-Lebouc
(with Ashley Menne and Yujeong Son)

Major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship Winning score Margin Runner-up
1988 U.S. Women's Open −7 (67-72-69-69=277) 3 strokes United States Patty Sheehan

Results timeline

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Tournament 1987 1988 1989
Kraft Nabisco Championship CUT T28
LPGA Championship T10
U.S. Women's Open CUT 1 T20
du Maurier Classic CUT CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Kraft Nabisco Championship CUT T30 T26 T40 T11 T32 T10 T16 T5 T58 72
LPGA Championship T27 T11 T2 T25 T3 T38 T41 CUT T37 2 CUT
U.S. Women's Open T54 T15 15 62 3 T21 T8 T14 3 T17 CUT
du Maurier Classic 4 T19 T20 CUT 3 2 T6 2 T48 T34 CUT
Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Kraft Nabisco Championship T18 2 T42 T55 T45 T61 T15 CUT
LPGA Championship T12 T52 T67 CUT T31 T29 68 T29 CUT WD
U.S. Women's Open T39 T37 CUT T20 T19 CUT CUT CUT
Women's British Open ^ 55 T35 CUT CUT T5 T31 CUT

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut.
WD = withdrew
"T" tied.

Summary

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  • Starts – 85
  • Wins – 1
  • 2nd-place finishes – 5
  • 3rd-place finishes – 4
  • Top 3 finishes – 10
  • Top 5 finishes – 13
  • Top 10 finishes – 17
  • Top 25 finishes – 34
  • Missed cuts – 21
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 14
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3

LPGA Tour career summary

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Year Wins (Majors) Earnings ($) Money list rank Average
1988 1 (1) 188,729 12 72.44
1989 0 119,915 30 72.66
1990 0 82,323 51 73.74
1991 1 151,367 27 72.91
1992 0 225,667 21 72.00
1993 0 90,776 57 72.54
1994 3 505,701 3 71.46
1995 0 305,157 16 71.79
1996 3 625,633 4 70.94
1997 2 497,841 7 71.28
1998 2 665,069 5 71.15
1999 0 405,142 20 71.70
2000 0 185,309 48 72.96
2001 0 159,719 61 72.40
2002 0 295,225 32 72.37
2003 0 108,379 71 72.39
2004 1 275,352 43 72.13
2005 0 607,474 22 71.47
2006 0 197,785 64 72.44
2007 0 103,486 84 73.55
2008 0 53,285 134 74.58
2009 0 0 76.24
2010 0 0 78.27

Team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

Solheim Cup record

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Year Total
matches		 Total
W–L–H		 Singles
W–L–H		 Foursomes
W–L–H		 Fourballs
W–L–H		 Points
won		 Points
%
Career 21 6–10–5 2–2–2 1–6–1 3–2–2 8.5 40.5%
1990 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 lost to B. Daniel 7&6 0–1–0 lost w/P. Wright 6&5 1–0–0 won w/P. Wright 4&2 1 33.3%
1992 3 2–0–1 1–0–0 def B. King 2&1 1–0–0 won w/H. Alfredsson 2&1 0–0–1 halved H. Alfredsson 2.5 83.3%
1994 3 1–2–0 0–1–0 lost to D. Andrews 3&2 0–1–0 lost w/H. Alfredsson 3&2 1–0–0 won w/H. Alfredsson 1up 1 33.3%
1996 5 1–2–2 0–0–1 halved w/B. Daniel 0–1–1 lost w/H. Alfredsson 2&1, halved w/K. Marshall 1–1–0 lost w/C. Nilsmark 1dn, won w/C. Nilsmark 3&1 2 40.0%
1998 4 1–3–0 1–0–0 def B. Burton 1up 0–2–0 lost w/L. Hackney 1dn, lost w/C. Nilsmark 3&1 0–1–0 lost w/C. Sörenstam 2&1 1 25.0%
2000 3 0–1–2 0–0–1 halved w P. Hurst 0–1–0 lost w/H. Alfredsson 1dn 0–0–1 halved w/P. Meunier-Lebouc 1 33.3%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hellsten, CM (18 September 2017). "Här är alla svenska majorvinnare" [Here are all Swedish major winners]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  2. ^ Lotta Neumann Finspångs Golfklubb Historia
  3. ^ a b "Jösse Lotta, vilken skräll". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). July 1981. pp. 25–27, 64.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Golf - Den Stora Sporten'" [Golf - the Great Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation 100 Years. pp. 71, 95 192, 198, 211, 220, 221, 224, 283.
  5. ^ "Det otroliga är ett faktum!" [The incredible thing is a fact!]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). August 1988. pp. 6–11.
  6. ^ Jansson, Anders (2004). Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. p. 97. ISBN 91-86818007.
  7. ^ "Svenska Golfförbundet, Utmärkelser, Elitmärket, 2011-" [Swedish Golf Federation, Awards, Elite Sign, 1981-1990] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  8. ^ Svärdkrona, Zendry (11 March 2011). "Här är Anjas föregångare - 43 pristagare genom åren" [Here are Anja's predecessors - 43 prize winners through the years]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  9. ^ Åsgård, Olof (13 May 2022). "Sveriges första majorvinnare tar plats i Sveriges Golf Hall of Fame" [Sweden's first major winner into the Swedish Golf Hall of Fame] (in Swedish). Svensk Golf. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  10. ^ "I siffror sett, Nationellt, Dunlop Open" [In the numbers, National, Dunlop Open]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 7. September 1982. p. 68.
  11. ^ a b "Resultat" [Results]. Svensk Golf. October 1985. p. 63.
  12. ^ "Resultat" [Results]. Svensk Golf. September 1986. p. 76.
  13. ^ "Resultat" [Results]. Svensk Golf. July 1987. p. 89.
  14. ^ "Lotta snopen men glad". Svensk Golf. June 1988. p. 91.
  15. ^ "Tävling" [Competition]. Svensk Golf. No. 10. 1991. pp. 58–63, 75.
  16. ^ "Grattis sa Lotta - och vann!" [Congratulations said Lotta - and won!]. Svensk Golf. No. 8. 1993. pp. 46, 57.
  17. ^ "Tävling" [Competition]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). August 1987. pp. 55, 63.
  18. ^ "Lotta sticker upp" [Lotta turns up]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). September 1994. pp. 42–50.
  19. ^ "1993 Japan LPGA Tour Schedule". Japan LPGA Tour.
  20. ^ a b "1997 Japan LPGA Tour Schedule". Japan LPGA Tour.
  21. ^ "1998 Japan LPGA Tour". Japan LPGA Tour.
  22. ^ "Internationellt, Japan-touren damer" [International, Japan Tour Ladies]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). July 1998. p. 138.
  23. ^ "Tävling" [Competition]. Svensk Golf. No. 1. 1996. pp. 68, 74.
  24. ^ "Tävling, Internationellt, proffs" [Competition, Internatiomal, professionals]. Svensk Golf. No. 4. April 1987. p. 173.
  25. ^ "Pierre Robert Cup". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). July 1985. pp. 55, 62, 69.
  26. ^ "Bäst i världen". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). December 1992. pp. 62, 63.
  27. ^ a b "European Team Championships". European Golf Association.
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