Liv Wollin (née Forsell) (born 17 April 1945) is a Swedish professional golfer, who is regarded as having been one of the best Swedish female amateur players ever.

Early life

Wollin grew up in

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...

outside

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, as the only girl among five siblings. Her parents were Jacob Forsell and Mette, nee Grut, and they were not golfers. She started out golf in 1958 as a

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support. Description A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...

at Lidingö Golf Club close to their house. With few girls playing the game in those days, she usually played with boys. Her older brother Joachim (called "Kim") and Swedish elite amateur Gustav Adolf Bielke were both role models for her while learning the game at young age. She always preferred to develop her golfing abilities by playing on the course instead of practicing a lot on the driving range. Her swing technique was characterized by a short and quick backswing, just like the one of G. A. Bielke. Other sports she practiced, was curling, bowling, table tennis and squash. By saving the money, she received from her father, who was a medical doctor, for not smoking before 18 years of age, she financed a

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

car, to travel with between golf tournaments in Sweden in the early 1960s, often with best golfing friend Cecilia Perslow (who 1967 married French golfer

Gaëtan Mourgue d'Algue Gaëtan Mourgue d'Algue (born 1 June 1939) is a French golfer. He was a resident of Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, west of Paris, France, who helped popularize the then little played sport of golf in the country during the early 1960s. Early years His fa ...

). Wollin and Perslow in 1966 came to meet in the final of the Swedish Match-play Championship when Perslow was the defending champion. Wollin won the match, played at Perslow's home course Örebro Golf Club.

Amateur career

She became the first Swedish golfer with international success and had a long amateur career. Despite playing mostly in Scandinavia, she several times proved to be among the best female amateur golfers in the world. She represented Lidingö Golf Club until 1969 and, after moving to the very south-west end of Sweden,

Falsterbo Golf Club Falsterbo Golf Club is a Links (golf), links golf club located in Falsterbo, Skåne County in Sweden. It has hosted the PLM Open on the European Tour. History Falsterbo was founded in 1909 and is Sweden's third oldest golf club. In 1911 it was mo ...

since 1970. In 1963, 18 years old, she won two of three major amateur championships in Sweden at that time and won individually the qualification competition at the

European Ladies' Team Championship The European Ladies' Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for women organised by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1959. It was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been pla ...

. The same year, she advanced to the third round of the

British Ladies Amateur The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of th ...

, a feat she repeated in 1965 at

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

. Wollin reached the final of the Swedish closed championship eleven times and won ten of them. Winning the title for the eight time in 1973 at

Halmstad Golf Club Halmstad Golf Club (Halmstad Golfklubb; Halmstad GK) is a golf club located in Tylösand, Halmstad Municipality in Sweden. It has hosted the 2007 Solheim Cup and the Chrysler Open on the Ladies European Tour and most recently Scandinavian Mixed. H ...

, she had to play 39 holes in the final against Anna Skanse. Wollin was pregnant in her sixth month, six holes down after 21 holes and never leading the final until the end after the third extra hole. In 1980, Wollin became the first Swedish golfer to reach the final of the British Ladies Amateur at

Woodhall Spa Golf Club Woodhall Spa Golf Club is a private golf club in England, that is located to the north of Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. The club was founded in 1891. In 1995 the club was purchased by the English Golf Union, who have since relocated their headqua ...

, where she lost 3 and 1 to

Anne Sander Anne Quast (born August 31, 1937) is an American amateur golfer. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur three times (1958, 1961, 1963) and was runner-up three times (1965, 1968, 1973). She was married several times and played as Anne Decker, Anne Wel ...

, United States. 12 years earlier, in 1968, Wollin reached the semi-finals. Wollin also won the open amateur championships of Sweden,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. Wollin represented Sweden in ten consecutive World Amateur Team Golf Championships, the

Espirito Santo Trophy The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fren ...

, between

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

and 1982, a record beaten only by

Marina Ragher A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, Wollin finished tied fourth individually. For the

1968 Espirito Santo Trophy The 1968 Espirito Santo Trophy took place 2–5 October at Victoria Golf Club in Cheltenham, south of central Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the third women's golf World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy. The tourn ...

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, the

Swedish Golf Federation The Swedish Golf Federation ( sv, Svenska Golfförbundet, SGF) is the governing body for the sport of golf in Sweden, founded in 1904. The federation is responsible for administering the Rules of Golf, as laid down by The R&A, at the national leve ...

decided, by economic reasons, to not send a team, but Wollin initiated to collect the necessary sponsorship to make the trip. In the end, the Swedish team finished fourth and Wollin sixth individually. In

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Wollin, together with Christina Westerberg and Birgit Forsman, earned the first ever Swedish medal in the amateur worlds, men or women, when the Swedish team finished third, while Wollin finished tied third with

Laura Baugh Laura Zonetta Baugh (born May 31, 1955) is an American professional golfer, who played the LPGA Tour for 25 years. She is a published writer and golf broadcaster. Early life Baugh was born in Gainesville, Florida. Her father Hale Baugh, a lawyer ...

in the individual competition. In the 1976 event, Wollin again finished tied third, this time with

Debbie Massey Debbie Massey (born November 5, 1950) is an American professional golfer. Before joining the LPGA Tour, Massey worked as a skiing instructor. She was LPGA rookie of the year in 1977. Massey won three events on the LPGA Tour, not including back-t ...

, after winner

Nancy Lopez Nancy Marie Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American former professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships. Amateur career Lopez won the New Mexico Women's ...

and runner-up

Catherine Lacoste Catherine Lacoste (born 27 June 1945) is a French amateur golfer and the only player who has won the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur. Early life She was born and grew up in Paris, France, with her parents, René Lacoste and Simone de la Chaume a ...

. At the 1975 European Ladies' Team Championship at

Golf de Saint-Cloud Golf de Saint-Cloud is a 36-hole golf complex located in the parishes of Garches, Rueil-Malmaison and Vaucresson, 12 km west of central Paris, France. History Opened in 1913 and designed by well renowned English golf course designer Harry Shapl ...

, outside

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, Wollin again won individually at the qualification competition, as she did 12 years earlier. In the quarter-final between Sweden and, champions to be, France, Wollin defeated former

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open, one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, W ...

champion Catherine Lacoste, 3 and 2, on her home soil. In 1981, she was a member of the winning Swedish team at the

, together with Hillewi Hagström, Viveca Hoff, Gisela Linnér,

Charlotte Montgomery Charlotte Montgomery (born 24 August 1958) is a Swedish professional golfer. She was one of the two players, who were the first female Swedes to play collegiate golf at a university in the United States and she was the first Swede to qualify for ...

and Pia Nilsson. When she finally turned professional in 1983, she was 38 years old and her long and successful career was almost coming to its end. Up and coming Swedish stars

Kärstin Ehrnlund Kärstin Helena Ehrnlund Strand (born 10 February 1959 in Karlstad) is a Swedish professional golfer. She was the first Swedish woman to join a professional golf tour and the first Swede to record a victory on an international tour. Early years ...

and

Liselotte Neumann Liselotte Maria "Lotta" Neumann (born 20 May 1966) is a Swedish professional golfer. When she recorded her first LPGA Tour win, by claiming the 1988 U.S. Women's Open title, Neumann also became the first Swedish golfer, male or female, to win a ...

, at that period of time, turned professional as teenagers.

Awards, honors

In 1963, 18 years old, Wollin earned Elite Sign No. 41 by the

, on the basis of national team appearances and national championship performances. Wollin was twice awarded Swedish Golfer of the Year, male and female, 1966 and 1968. (Until 1976, there was a rule stating that a player not could receive the award more than two times.) In 1966, she was awarded Swedish Sportswomen of the Year. In 1984, she received The Golden Club ("Guldklubban") by the

for contributions to Swedish golf.

Personal life

During her early amateur career, she worked as a school teacher. At the beginning of 1970, she moved from Stockholm to the province of

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

in southern Sweden, to work at Club Golf, an indoor golf training facility in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

. She won the Swedish Championship in

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

in 1964. Her brother Jacob Forsell (1942–2023), was a well-known Swedish photographer. She was married to Paul Wollin (1946–1990) from 1972 to 1987. In 1985, the two of them won the Swedish Championship for married couples, played as foursome. Their daughter Anna was born in 1973. She was a member of the board of the

from 1994 to 1997. She is an honorary member of Falsterbo Golf Club and The Swedish Golf Historical Society.

Amateur wins

Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship The Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship is an annual amateur golf tournament in Portugal for women. It is an "A" rated tournament in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The tournament is a qualifying event for the European teams in t ...

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing Sweden):

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

(winners)Swedish Golf Federation: European Ladies' Team Championship
/ref> *

Vagliano Trophy The Vagliano Trophy is a biennial women's amateur golf tournament. It is co-organised by The R&A and the European Golf Association and is contested by teams representing "Great Britain and Ireland" and the "Continent of Europe". It is played in od ...

(representing the Continent of Europe): 1963, 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1969 (winners), 1971, 1975, 1977, 1981 (winners) *

(representing Sweden):

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Swedish Golf Federation: Espirito Santo Trophy
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wollin, Liv Swedish female golfers Amateur golfers Golfers from Stockholm 1945 births Living people