Minea Blomqvist
Encyclopedia
Minea "Minni" Blomqvist, (born 12 March 1985 in Espoo
, Finland
) is a professional golfer
who plays mainly on the U.S. based LPGA Tour but is also a member of the Ladies European Tour
.
World Amateur Golf Team Championships. She was a two-time member of the European PING Junior Solheim Cup Team in 2002 and 2003 winning all her matches in the winning 2003 side and she represented Europe in the 2003 Vagliano Trophy.
She played as an amateur on the Telia Tour
four times in 2000 and 2001 missing the cut each time. In 2002 she played in three Telia Tour events and recorded two top twenty finishes plus a win at the Sparbanken Ladies Open. In 2003 she played in five Telia tour tournaments, recorded two runner up finishes plus a win at the CA Ladies Trophy. and was named Telia Tour Player of the Year.
following this up with a win in the Telkom Women's Classic a week later. These results meant she finished top of the Nedbank Women's Golf Tour Order of Merit for 2004.
Having finished 36th at the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in 2003, Blomqvist had conditional status for 2004 when making her Ladies European Tour
debut in Tenerife where she finished fourth. She won her maiden LET tournament later in the year in Hungary and gained her first top ten finish in a major at the Women's British Open
during which she shot a record low score of 62. She had five other top twenty LET finishes in 2004 together with another win at the Öijared Ladies Open on the Telia Tour and was the LET Rookie of the Year.
At the start of 2005 she teamed with Riikka Hakkarainen to represent Finland at the inaugural Women's World Cup of Golf
. On the Ladies European Tour she posted 11 top-20 finishes, including back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Ladies English Open and the OTP Bank Ladies Central European Open and earned non-exempt status for the 2006 LPGA Tour season by tying for 34th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
At the start of 2006 she again teamed with Riikka Hakkarainen to represent Finland at the Women's World Cup of Golf
. She concentrated on playing on the LPGA tour in 2006 ending the season with a best finish of 24th and 102nd on the money list.
In 2008 Blomqvist added another success to her résumé. By winning the Finnair Masters
she became the first Finn to triumph in that event.
Another notable achievement was finishing tied as a runner-up at the rain-shortened Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika, where she played her last round in 63 strokes.
On LPGA Tour her best finish was 3rd place at the Safeway International
.
.
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) is a professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who plays mainly on the U.S. based LPGA Tour but is also a member of the Ladies European Tour
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
.
Amateur career
Blomqvist was a member of the Finnish National Ladies Team from 2001–2003 and played in the 2002 Espirito Santo TrophyEspirito Santo Trophy
The Espirito Santo Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964 and recent tournaments have featured teams from around forty countries. It is a strokeplay event, in which the best two...
World Amateur Golf Team Championships. She was a two-time member of the European PING Junior Solheim Cup Team in 2002 and 2003 winning all her matches in the winning 2003 side and she represented Europe in the 2003 Vagliano Trophy.
She played as an amateur on the Telia Tour
Telia Tour
The SAS Masters Tour, is a domestic professional golf tour operated by the Swedish Golf Association. There are separate tours for men and women...
four times in 2000 and 2001 missing the cut each time. In 2002 she played in three Telia Tour events and recorded two top twenty finishes plus a win at the Sparbanken Ladies Open. In 2003 she played in five Telia tour tournaments, recorded two runner up finishes plus a win at the CA Ladies Trophy. and was named Telia Tour Player of the Year.
Professional career
Blomqvist turned professional late in 2003 and in 2004 claimed her maiden victory in only her second tournament as a professional at the Pam Golding Ladies International on the Nedbank Women's Golf Tour in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
following this up with a win in the Telkom Women's Classic a week later. These results meant she finished top of the Nedbank Women's Golf Tour Order of Merit for 2004.
Having finished 36th at the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in 2003, Blomqvist had conditional status for 2004 when making her Ladies European Tour
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
debut in Tenerife where she finished fourth. She won her maiden LET tournament later in the year in Hungary and gained her first top ten finish in a major at the Women's British Open
Women's British Open
The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
during which she shot a record low score of 62. She had five other top twenty LET finishes in 2004 together with another win at the Öijared Ladies Open on the Telia Tour and was the LET Rookie of the Year.
At the start of 2005 she teamed with Riikka Hakkarainen to represent Finland at the inaugural Women's World Cup of Golf
Women's World Cup of Golf
The Women's World Cup of Golf was a professional golf tournament contested by teams of two female golfers representing their respective countries....
. On the Ladies European Tour she posted 11 top-20 finishes, including back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Ladies English Open and the OTP Bank Ladies Central European Open and earned non-exempt status for the 2006 LPGA Tour season by tying for 34th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
At the start of 2006 she again teamed with Riikka Hakkarainen to represent Finland at the Women's World Cup of Golf
Women's World Cup of Golf
The Women's World Cup of Golf was a professional golf tournament contested by teams of two female golfers representing their respective countries....
. She concentrated on playing on the LPGA tour in 2006 ending the season with a best finish of 24th and 102nd on the money list.
In 2008 Blomqvist added another success to her résumé. By winning the Finnair Masters
Finnair Masters
The Finnair Masters is a women's professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour. Held in Finland, the 54-hole event was founded in 2005 as the Ladies Finnish Masters. The title sponsor since 2006 has been Finnair, the country's largest airline...
she became the first Finn to triumph in that event.
Another notable achievement was finishing tied as a runner-up at the rain-shortened Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika, where she played her last round in 63 strokes.
On LPGA Tour her best finish was 3rd place at the Safeway International
Safeway International
The J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, in full the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery, was an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour...
.
Personal
Blomqvist gave birth to her son Elmo 31 March 2010. The father is her boyfriend, Roope KakkoRoope Kakko
Roope Kakko is a Finnish professional golfer.Kakko was born in Espoo, Finland. He started playing golf at the age of five....
.
Other (3)
- 2004 Pam Golding Ladies International (Nedbank South Africa Women's Golf Tour), Telkom Women's Classic (Nedbank South Africa Women's Golf Tour), Öijared Ladies Open (Telia TourTelia TourThe SAS Masters Tour, is a domestic professional golf tour operated by the Swedish Golf Association. There are separate tours for men and women...
)