Benjamin Hébert (born 19 February 1987) is a French
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
.
Early life
Hébert was born in
Brive,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
His parents are Jean-Luc, a former pentathlete, and Françoise, a former swimmer, both of whom now work as teachers. He also has one sister, Audrey. Hébert spent some of his childhood in
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
, from age 14 to 18, before graduating from high school in 2005.
Amateur career
Hébert enjoyed a successful amateur career. He spent three years on the French national team, the highlight being representing his country at the 2008
Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...
. He won a number of individual tournaments, the most notable being the
European Amateur in 2007, which gained him entry to the following year's
Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
. He also represented Europe in the
St Andrews Trophy
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland.
It was first played in 19 ...
.
Professional career
Hébert turned professional in 2009. He enjoyed immediate success on the
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour, currently titled as the HotelPlanner Tour for sponsorship reasons and also sometimes referred to as the European Challenge Tour, is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European To ...
, recording a third-place finish in the
Piemonte Open after receiving a special invite. He recorded his first professional victory on the third-level
Alps Tour later in the summer, before earning a card for the
European Tour
The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
at
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 ...
at the end of the year. However, he struggled to settle at this level, making twelve cuts but not recording a single top-twenty finish, and he failed to retain his card. In July 2011, Hébert won his first tournament on the
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour, currently titled as the HotelPlanner Tour for sponsorship reasons and also sometimes referred to as the European Challenge Tour, is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European To ...
at the
Credit Suisse Challenge. He followed up with a second win a week later at the
English Challenge. He won his third tournament of the year, the
Rolex Trophy, in August to earn a promotion to the
European Tour
The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
.
On the European Tour in 2012, Hébert finished in the top-10 once, T-6 at the
Lyoness Open and finished 195th on the Race to Dubai, losing his tour card. He returned to the Challenge Tour in 2013 and 2014. In 2014, he won his fourth Challenge Tour event in August at the
Norwegian Challenge, he soon followed this up with his second with of the 2014 season in September at the
Open Blue Green Côtes d'Armor Bretagne. In the final event of the 2014 season at the
Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final, he secured his third Challenge Tour win of the season and 6th career win on the tour. In doing so Hébert finished second in the Challenge Tour Rankings behind
Andrew Johnston, which earned him European Tour card for 2015 and became the first player to have three Challenge Tour wins in two separate seasons.
[
Since 2015 Hébert has played on the ]European Tour
The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
. He was runner-up in the 2018 Belgian Knockout
The Belgian Open is a men's golf tournament which has been played intermittently from 1910 to 2000. All editions since 1978 have been part of the European Tour. After not having been played since 2000, it returned in 2018 as the Belgian Knockout, h ...
where he lost to Adrián Otaegui
}
Adrián Otaegui Jaúregui (born 21 November 1992) is a Spanish-Emirati professional golfer from San Sebastián who plays on the European Tour where he has won five times. He also played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series.
Amateur ca ...
in the final. He lost in a playoff for the 2019 Volvo China Open
The Volvo China Open is a men's golf tournament that has been held annually in China since 1995. The event is organised by the China Golf Association and was co-sanctioned by the European Tour from 2004 until 2019. It has also featured as part of ...
against Mikko Korhonen
Mikko Korhonen (born 23 July 1980) is a Finnish professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour. He won the 2018 Shot Clock Masters and the 2019 Volvo China Open.
Professional career
Korhonen turned professional at the late age of 2 ...
. He also lost in a playoff for the 2019 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open against Bernd Wiesberger
Bernd Klaus Wiesberger (; born 8 October 1985) is an Austrian professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and formerly on the LIV Golf League. He finished the 2019 European Tour season in third place on the Race to Dubai standings, his be ...
.
Amateur wins
*2006 Grand Prix de Niort
*2007 European Amateur, La Coupe Mouchy (joint), Grand Prix de Bordeaux-Lac, Grand Prix Palmola, Grand Prix de Saint Cyprien
Professional wins (8)
Challenge Tour wins (6)
Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)
Alps Tour wins (1)
French Tour wins (1)
Playoff record
European Tour playoff record (0–3)
Results in major championships
''Results not in chronological order in 2020.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
Results in World Golf Championships
1Cancelled due to COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied
Team appearances
Amateur
*European Amateur Team Championship
The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959.
The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been ...
(representing France): 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
*Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...
(representing France): 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
*St Andrews Trophy
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland.
It was first played in 19 ...
(representing the Continent of Europe): 2008
*Bonallack Trophy
The Bonallack Trophy is an amateur golf competition on the model of the Ryder Cup which opposes every two years a European team and a team representing Asia/Pacific. The venue alternates between courses in Europe and Asia/Pacific.
The first compe ...
(representing Europe): 2008 (winners)
*European Team Championships (representing France): 2008
See also
* 2009 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
* 2011 Challenge Tour graduates
* 2014 Challenge Tour graduates
* 2024 Challenge Tour graduates
* List of golfers with most Challenge Tour wins
*
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hebert, Benjamin
French male golfers
European Tour golfers
Sportspeople from Brive-la-Gaillarde
People from Tahiti
1987 births
Living people
21st-century French sportsmen