Klas Eriksson is a professional golfer on the PGA European Tour. He was born July 30, 1971, in Vaxjo, Sweden, where he currently resides. He was married in 2004 and has two children. He became a professional golfer in 1991 and has earned $1,153,659 on the tour. In his career, he has alternated between the European Tour and the Challenge Tour, a second-tier men's European men's golf tour, mainly because of injuries to his wrist and back.
Major Tournaments
Eriksson has qualified for three British Opens, the most recent in 2004. His best finish was a tie for 40th place in 1996 in Lytham, England. He shot an even-par 284 and finished 13 strokes back. He missed the cut in both 1997 and 2004.
European Tour
Eriksson has never won on the PGA European Tour. The closest he came was in 1994 when he finished second at the Czech Open in Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic. On a shorter than normal course, he shot 8 under par to finish three strokes behind the winner. His next best finish came in the 2004 Algarve Open de Portugal. He shot a 13-under-par 275 to finish tied for third, three shots back. Eriksson's best season came in 1994 when he finished tied for 45th in money earnings. He had three Top-10 finishes that year.
Statistics
Eriksson is averaging 72.13 strokes per round in the 2009 season. He has been hitting 68.06 percent of greens in regulation. He has been making 57.31 percent of fairways on his drives off the tee and is averaging 291.06 yards on his drives. Eriksson currently is ranked 145th on the PGA European Tour and 324th in the World Golf Ranking.
Other Professional Highlights
Eriksson's first three professional victories came in 1993 when he dominated the Challenge Tour. His fourth career victory came in 1994 when he shot a 16-under-par 272 and had a 65 on the final day, to win the Talma Finnish Challenge by four strokes. Eriksson didn't win again until 2008 at the Trophee du Golf Club de Geneve in Switzerland where he won a playoff with Wil Besseling and Alexandre Rocha by sinking a 20-foot putt on the fourth extra hole. Eriksson shot a final-round 63 to finish regulation at 14-under-par 274 and force the playoff. It was the lowest round of his career.
Amateur Career
Klas Eriksson's amateur career was highlighted by a victory in the European Individual Amateur Championship when he was 19 years old in 1990. He also won the French Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship that year.
About The Author
Darin McGilvra is a writer in Southern California. He has been a writer since 1997. He worked as a sports writer and copy editor for newspapers for more than 12 years before becoming a freelance writer. His articles have appeared recently in "The Californian" newspaper in Temecula, Calif. McGilvra holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics education from Northwest Nazarene College.
