Rhys Davies (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Rhys Davies is a Welsh
professional golfer
.
Davies was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but has lived in Wales
for the majority of his life. He played collegiate golf in the United States
at East Tennessee State University
where he won ten times. He played on two Walker Cup
teams (2005 and 2007) before turning pro in 2007.
Davies successfully came through the Asian Tour
's qualifying school
, allowing him to play on that tour for the 2008 season.
Davies won twice on the Challenge Tour
in 2009 and finished fourth on the Challenge Tour Rankings to earn his European Tour card for 2010. He won his first European Tour title at the 2010 Trophée Hassan II. At the 2010 Celtic Manor Wales Open
, he shot a final round 62 to set the course record on his way to finishing as runner-up. This performance elevated Davies into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings
for the first time. He finished the season ranked 18th on the European Tour Order of Merit.
Before deciding to make golf his career, Davies played cricket
at junior level for both Glamorgan
and Wales
and was included in the England
under-15 and under-17 squads.
Professional
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
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;...
.
Davies was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but has lived in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
for the majority of his life. He played collegiate golf in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation's sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state...
where he won ten times. He played on two Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
teams (2005 and 2007) before turning pro in 2007.
Davies successfully came through the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
's qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
, allowing him to play on that tour for the 2008 season.
Davies won twice on the Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
in 2009 and finished fourth on the Challenge Tour Rankings to earn his European Tour card for 2010. He won his first European Tour title at the 2010 Trophée Hassan II. At the 2010 Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Wales Open
The Saab Wales Open, previously the Celtic Manor Wales Open, is a European Tour golf tournament which was founded in 2000 and is played each June. The event is hosted at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, South Wales, also the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup...
, he shot a final round 62 to set the course record on his way to finishing as runner-up. This performance elevated Davies into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
for the first time. He finished the season ranked 18th on the European Tour Order of Merit.
Before deciding to make golf his career, Davies played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
at junior level for both Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and was included in the England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
under-15 and under-17 squads.
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Mar 2010 2010 European Tour The 2010 European Tour is the second edition of the Race to Dubai and the 39th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972.... |
Trophée Hassan II | 2 strokes |  Louis OosthuizenLouis Oosthuizen Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen is a South African professional golfer, who won the 2010 Open Championship.-Early life and career:... |
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Jul 2009 2009 Challenge Tour The 2008 Challenge Tour was a series of golf tournaments known as the Challenge Tour, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour... |
SWALEC Wales Challenge | Playoff |  James MorrisonJames Morrison (golfer) James Ian Morrison is an English professional golfer.Morrison played in the same England youth cricket teams as Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan, with whom he remains friends. At the age of 16, he switched to golf and his handicap fell from 18 to scratch in less than a year. He... |
|
| 2 | 6 Sep 2009 | Fred Olsen Challenge de España | 1 stroke |  Steven JeppesenSteven Jeppesen Steven Jeppesen is a Danish-born Swedish professional golfer.-Career:Jeppesen turned professional in 2003 at the age of nineteen, and immediately qualified for the European Tour for the 2004 season via qualifying school... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
CUT | DNP | DNP | T74 | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | T62 | DNP |
Team appearances
Amateur- Jacques Leglise TrophyJacques Léglise TrophyThe Jacques Léglise Trophy is an annual boys' team golf competition between Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It was inaugurated in 1958 and is organised by the R&A. Great Britain & Ireland dominated in the early years to such an extent that it was discontinued in 1966. It was...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 2002 (winners), 2003 (winners) - Eisenhower TrophyEisenhower TrophyThe Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
(representing Wales): 2004, 2006 - Palmer CupPalmer CupThe Palmer Cup is an annual eight man team golf competition between American college golfers and European college/university golfers. It is named after Arnold Palmer. The teams are selected on the basis of nationality, not according to the location of the players' universities...
(representing Europe): 2004 (winners), 2005, 2006 (winners), 2007 - Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 20052005 Walker CupThe 40th Walker Cup Match was held between August 13 and August 14, 2005 at the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, United States. Team United States won 12½ to 11½.-Format:...
, 20072007 Walker CupThe 41st Walker Cup Match was held between September 8 and September 9, 2007 at the Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland. Team United States won 12½ to 11½. The United States won by the same score in 2005.-Format:... - St Andrews TrophySt Andrews TrophyThe St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland, which is colloquially known as the "Home of Golf". The competition was founded in...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 2006 (winners)
Professional
- Royal TrophyRoyal TrophyThe Royal Trophy is a men's professional team golf tournament which was played for the first time in January 2006 at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. The competing teams represent Europe and Asia. Eight man teams play a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and...
(representing Europe): 20112011 Royal TrophyThe 2011 Royal Trophy was the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It is being held from 7–9 January at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Thailand...
(winners) - World Cup (representing Denmark): 2011