Early Years
Born in Utrecht, Netherlands on December 9, 1985, Besseling learned golf in his home country from his father and did not begin playing the game until the age of 14. He played through his early teenage years and joined his high school team. His amateur career was short and successful, as he won his first major event at 16, just two years after picking up the game. His win, at the 2001 Dutch Amateur Match Play Championship, would be his last major individual win as an amateur.
Team Success
After winning his Match Play Championship, Besseling would play as an amateur for another four years, taking part in two major team events. He would play for the Netherlands and win the 2005 Eisenhower Trophy, tallying the lowest score in the event on any team. In 2006, he competed for Continental Europe in the St. Andrews Trophy tournament just before turning professional that year.
EPD Tour
Besseling turned pro during the latter half of the 2006 season. He played on the minor European Professional Development (EPD) Tour based out of Germany his first year and a half on tour. He won the Real de Faula Golf Classic on that tour in 2007 and won the Pro Tour Al Torreal on the Hi5 Pro Tour the next year. His 2007 efforts would place him fifth on the Order of Merit Rankings on the EPD Tour for that year.
Challenge Tour
After his successful stint on the EPD Tour, Besseling attempted to gain his European Tour qualifying card, but failed. He settled instead for the smaller Challenge Tour for the 2008 season. He thrived on the Challenge Tour, winning the second event he played at the Club Colombia Masters (by seven strokes), and finishing the season seventh in the rankings, with three second place finishes as well. Besseling's success on the Challenge Tour earned him qualification for the 2009 European Tour, where he had yet to win through much of the season as of August.
Career Accomplishments
Besseling's earnings have totaled over $500,000 in his brief career, including over $75,000 in 2009 on the European Tour. His must successful run as a professional came during the 2007 season when he finished in the top 20 in every event except two, and finished in the top-10 seven different times.
About The Author
Matthew Fortuna is a full-time freelance writer with a journalism degree from Wayne State University, living in the Detroit metropolitan area. He has written about a wide range of topics across varying publications, including Demand Studios, wiseGEEK.com and Suite101.com, among others. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Wayne State University.
