By: by Brian Harper
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HÄMEENLINA, Finland - Kennesaw State Owls junior Jeff Karlsson finished in fourth place in a field of 144 of the best male amateur golfers in Europe, shooting rounds of 69-68-68-71 for a total of 12-under par 276, at the International European Amateur Championship at Vanajanilinna Golf Club in Hämeenlinna, Finland.
Karlsson, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, entered the final round just two shots behind the leader and eventual winner, Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark. He was one-under par for the round and 12-under par for the tournament before making a costly double-bogey on the par-4 sixth hole. He would bounce back during the rest of the round, carding four more birdies over the last 12 holes to finish strong.
“I'm disappointed that I couldn't pull out the win, but at the same time I have so many positives to take with me from the tournament and from the summer overall,” Karlsson said about his performance. “My level of confidence grew a lot after playing in the Scandinavian Masters (European Tour event) and it made me believe I can shoot low numbers no matter where I’m playing or who I’m playing against.”
Karlsson did an excellent job of taking advantage of scoring opportunities, as he made birdies on 13 of the 16 par-5s during the week against zero bogeys, making birdies on each one of them at least three out of four times. The 2010 All-Atlantic Sun Conference Second Team honoree competed as a member of the Swedish National Team, posting the lowest aggregate score amongst his teammates.
“Jeff’s performance this past week certainly proves that he is one of the best players in Europe, and the fact that he has beaten all of his fellow countrymen in his last two starts is quite a feat in itself,” Owls head coach Jay Moseley said. “Jeff has as much talent as any player in college golf and I cannot wait to see what this upcoming season has in store for him and our entire program.”
It has been quite a summer on the links for Karlsson. Prior to last week’s impressive performance, he came within one shot of making the 36-hole cut at the European Tour’s Scandinavian Masters, held in his native Sweden. He also finished tied for sixth in a European Challenge Tour event the first week of July.
The International European Amateur Championship was hosted by the Finnish Golf Union and was held August 4-7 in Hämeenlinna, a city about 60 miles outside of the nation’s capital city of Helsinki. Past champions of the event include PGA tour members Sergio Garcia (1995), Carl Petterson (2000) and Rory McIlroy 2006).
Vanajanilinna Golf and Country Club is ranked among the top-100 golf courses in Europe, playing at 6,624 yard course and specifically designed to challenge the world’s best professionals and amateurs.
The fourth place finish for Karlsson greatly increases his chances of representing Sweden in the World Amateur Team Championship, which will be held October 16-31, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Owls begin their fall schedule on Sept. 13 in Hattiesburg, Miss. when they compete in the Sam Hall Intercollegiate, where Karlsson is the defending champion.
