Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore Explained

Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore
Fullname:Sofia Maria Grönberg Whitmore
Birth Date:25 May 1965
Birth Place:Falköping, Sweden
Residence:Halmstad, Sweden
Spouse:John Whitmore
College:University of Alabama
Yearpro:1988
Extour:Ladies European Tour (1989–2001)
Prowins:8
Letwins:3
Lagtwins:1
Otherwins:4
Award1:Ladies Asian Golf Tour Order of Merit
Year1:1989
Award2:Swedish Golfer of the Year
Year2:1989

Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore (born 25 May 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer. She played on the Ladies European Tour (LET) between 1989 and 2001 and won three LET titles. In 1989 she also won a title on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and its Order of Merit.[1]

Alongside Helen Alfredsson and Liselotte Neumann, Grönberg-Whitmore was one of the pioneers of women's professional golf in Sweden in the 1980s.

Amateur career

She spent two years with the golf team at the University of Alabama and later married Englishman John Whitmore, residing in Warwickshire for part of her career.[2]

As an amateur, she was part of the Swedish teams winning the 1984 European Lady Junior's Team Championship and the 1987 European Ladies' Team Championship. She played in the 1986 Espirito Santo Trophy in Caracas, Venezuela with Helen Alfredsson and Eva Dahllöf. In 1987 she played for Europe in the Vagliano Trophy.[1]

Professional career

Grönberg-Whitmore turned professional in 1988 and joined the Ladies European Tour. She won the 1988 IBM Ladies Open, a Swedish Golf Tour event that was added to the LET schedule two years later.

In early 1989, Grönberg-Whitmore played on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour, where she won the Indonesia Ladies Open and that season's Order of Merit. Back in Europe, she won the LET season opener, the Rome Classic, in April. At the end of the year, she was named Swedish Golfer of the Year.[3]

Over the next decade, her best results were runner-up finishes at the La Manga Spanish Open and the Sens Ladies' Dutch Open, both in 1994. She returned to her winning ways in 1999. After triumphing both in the Air France Madame Biarritz Open and the inaugural Cantor Fitzgerald Laura Davies Invitational at Brocket Hall, she moved to fifth place on the LET Order of Merit and sixth spot on the European Solheim Cup ranking.[4]

Professional wins (8)

Ladies European Tour (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning
score
Margin of
victory
Runner-up
116 Apr 1989Rome Classic210 (−6)1 stroke Marie-Laure Taya
230 Aug 1999Laura Davies Invitational275 (−13) Playoff Trish Johnson
39 Oct 1999Air France Madame Biarritz Open200 (−10) 3 strokes Sandrine Mendiburu

Ladies Asian Golf Tour (1)

Other (3)

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Source:[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Jansson, Anders . Golf - Den stora sporten . Swedish . Golf - The great sport . Swedish Golf Federation . 2004 . 91-86818007 . 184–187, 193, 198–199, 227, 266.
  2. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf-gronberg-prevails-in-playoff-test-of-nerve-1118606.html Golf: Gronberg prevails in play-off test of nerve
  3. Book: Jansson, Anders . Golf - Den stora sporten . Swedish . Golf - The great sport . Swedish Golf Federation . 2004 . 91-86818007 . 44.
  4. http://www.golftoday.co.uk/tours/tournews/news99/airfrance3.html Gronberg wins second title of season