Seve Benson
Encyclopedia
Seve Benson is an English
professional golf
er.
Benson was born in Guildford
, Surrey
, and is named after European golfing legend Seve Ballesteros. As an amateur, he was a member of the English Golf Union
´s Elite A Squad, and won the Russian and Qatar amateur open championships. He went on to make the cut at each of those countries professional championships while still an amateur, finishing tied 58th in the Qatar Masters
, and tied for 10th in the Russian Open.
Having turned professional
towards the end of 2007, Benson attempted to win a place on the European Tour
. He reached final stage of the qualifying school
, but missed the 72 hole cut. However by getting through to the final stage, he had already done enough to enable him to play on the second tier Challenge Tour
in 2008.
Benson claimed his first professional win in May 2008 at the opening event of the PGA EuroPro Tour
season. Later the same month he won for the first time on the Challenge Tour, at the Piemonte Open
, where he set a new course record in the 3rd round. He also won the Ypsilon Golf Challenge
in August, where he triumphed in a playoff, and finished 6th on the end of season money list, to graduate to the European Tour for 2009.
He was the last golfer to retain his card at the end of the 2009 season, finishing 120th on the Race to Dubai.
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...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Benson was born in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, and is named after European golfing legend Seve Ballesteros. As an amateur, he was a member of the English Golf Union
English Golf Union
The English Golf Union is the governing body for men's and boys' amateur golf in England. It represents over 1,900 golf clubs with over 740,000 members and is affiliated to The R&A, which is the global governing body of golf outside the United States and Mexico.The English Golf Union was founded in...
´s Elite A Squad, and won the Russian and Qatar amateur open championships. He went on to make the cut at each of those countries professional championships while still an amateur, finishing tied 58th in the Qatar Masters
Qatar Masters
The Commercialbank Qatar Masters is a golf tournament held at the Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar. The tournament was established in 1998, and is one of four European Tour golf tournaments which are staged in the countries of the Persian Gulf, the others being the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the...
, and tied for 10th in the Russian Open.
Having turned professional
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;...
towards the end of 2007, Benson attempted to win a place on the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
. He reached final stage of the 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...
, but missed the 72 hole cut. However by getting through to the final stage, he had already done enough to enable him to play on the second tier 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 2008.
Benson claimed his first professional win in May 2008 at the opening event of the PGA EuroPro Tour
PGA EuroPro Tour
The PGA EuroPro Tour is a men's developmental professional golf tour. It was created in 2002 by the merger of two older development tours, the EuroPro Tour and the PGA Mastercard Tour. It is based mainly in the United Kingdom, with a few events in other countries...
season. Later the same month he won for the first time on the Challenge Tour, at the Piemonte Open
Piemonte Open
The Piemonte Open was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played near Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. It was held in 2008 and 2009.-Winners:* – First two rounds played over both courses, with the final two being played at Royal Park....
, where he set a new course record in the 3rd round. He also won the Ypsilon Golf Challenge
Ypsilon Golf Challenge
The Ypsilon Golf Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour that was played in 2008 at Ypsilon Golf Resort in Liberec, Czech Republic. It was hosted by European Tour player Alex Čejka and won by England's Seve Benson, who defeated Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Branden Grace in a...
in August, where he triumphed in a playoff, and finished 6th on the end of season money list, to graduate to the European Tour for 2009.
He was the last golfer to retain his card at the end of the 2009 season, finishing 120th on the Race to Dubai.
Amateur wins (3)
- 2006 Russian Amateur Open Championship, Tailhade Cup (Argentina)
- 2007 Qatar Amateur Open Championship
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 May 2008 2008 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... |
Piemonte Open Piemonte Open The Piemonte Open was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour, played near Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. It was held in 2008 and 2009.-Winners:* – First two rounds played over both courses, with the final two being played at Royal Park.... |
3 strokes |  Raphaël De Sousa |
|
| 2 | 24 Aug 2008 | Ypsilon Golf Challenge Ypsilon Golf Challenge The Ypsilon Golf Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour that was played in 2008 at Ypsilon Golf Resort in Liberec, Czech Republic. It was hosted by European Tour player Alex Čejka and won by England's Seve Benson, who defeated Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Branden Grace in a... |
Playoff |  Rafael Cabrera-BelloRafael Cabrera-Bello Rafael Cabrera-Bello is a Spanish professional golfer.-Career:Cabrera-Bello was born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. He first played golf aged six and went on to enjoy a successful amateur career, winning the Spanish National Championship at every age group level from under-7 through under-18... ,  Branden GraceBranden Grace Branden John Grace is a professional golfer from South Africa. He was born in Pretoria and turned professional at the end of 2007, since when he has played on the Sunshine Tour. His best finish on tour through 2009 came at the 2009 Africa Open, where he finished tied for second, one stroke behind... |
External links
- Seve Benson – profile on his management firm's official site