Bernd Klaus Wiesberger ([bɛʁnt ˈviːsˌbɛʁɡɐ]; born 8 October 1985) is an Austrian professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. He finished the 2019 season in third place on the Race to Dubai standings, his career best finish to date.
| Bernd Wiesberger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Bernd Klaus Wiesberger |
| Born | 8 October 1985 Vienna, Austria |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb; 13.5 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  Austria |
| Residence | Oberwart, Austria |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2006 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 12 |
| Highest ranking | 21 (24 November 2019)[1] (as of 24 November 2024) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 8 |
| Asian Tour | 2 |
| Challenge Tour | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T22: 2015 |
| PGA Championship | T15: 2014 |
| U.S. Open | T16: 2017 |
| The Open Championship | T32: 2019 |
In July 2015, when he won the Alstom Open de France, Wiesberger became the most successful Austrian golfer on the European Tour with three tour victories. He has since extended his record and is an eight-time winner on the European Tour.
Amateur career
Wiesberger was born in Vienna. He won several amateur tournaments, including three Austrian Amateur Stroke Play Championships from 2004 to 2006, the Austrian Amateur Match Play Championship in 2004 and the Austrian Youths Championship in 2004 and 2005. He represented his country at the 2004 and 2006 Eisenhower Trophy. He turned professional in 2006.
Professional career
Wiesberger played on the Challenge Tour in 2007 and 2008. He earned his European Tour card for the 2009 season through qualifying school. He was unable to win enough money during his rookie season to retain his card and returned to the Challenge Tour. Wiesberger won two events, the Allianz Golf Open de Lyon[2] and the Allianz Golf Open du Grand Toulouse, en route to a 5th-place finish on the Order of Merit, good enough for a European Tour card for 2011.
Wiesberger recorded four top-10 finishes in his return to the European Tour in 2011 including two runner up finishes. He finished 64th on the Order of Merit. Wiesberger claimed his maiden title on the European Tour in 2012 at the Ballantine's Championship, twice setting the course record and winning the championship by the margin of five strokes.[3] The win moved him into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. In July 2012, Wiesberger won his second title of the year and of his European Tour career at the Lyoness Open, held in his home country of Austria. He started the final round four strokes back of Thorbjørn Olesen, but a round of 65 seven under par, including birdies at three of the last four holes secured a three stroke victory. He became only the second Austrian to win his home Open, after Markus Brier in 2006. After the victory he said: "It's the best day of my life so far. It seems like it went my way, especially the last two holes. I had such a great country and such great fans backing me. I'm very proud to be following in such big footsteps [as Brier]. I'm sure I'm not going to be the last home winner."[4]
On 5 May 2013, Wiesberger won his sixth professional tournament and the second of his career in Asia, beating reigning Open Champion Ernie Els by a shot at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters for his first win of the season.[5]
In 2014, he lost a playoff at his home event, the Austrian Open. However, he earned enough world ranking points to place 60th in the world and become the first Austrian to play in the U.S. Open. Wiesberger had the last guaranteed position for entry and it was the event immediately after the Austrian Open. At the 2014 PGA Championship, Wiesberger was one off the lead of Rory McIlroy after 54 holes at Valhalla Golf Club and was paired with McIlroy in the final round of the championship. However, Wiesberger shot a three-over par round on the final day and finished in a tie for 15th.
In May 2015, Wiesberger lost in a three-man sudden-death playoff at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. He started the final round two strokes behind Søren Kjeldsen and despite shooting a 74, entered the playoff with Kjeldsen and Eddie Pepperell. Kjeldsen won on the first extra hole with a birdie. Wiesberger has lost all three sudden-death playoffs in his European Tour career. On 5 July Wiesberger would win his third event on the European Tour when he took the Alstom Open de France. Wiesberger took victory by three strokes over Englishmen James Morrison, Wiesberger had also started the round four strokes back of South African Jaco van Zyl but stormed back with final round 66. With this being his third win on tour, he became the most successful Austrian golfer in the history of the European Tour, moving ahead of Markus Brier, who had two wins; Martin Wiegele was the only other Austrian with a win.
Wiesberger claimed his fourth European Tour victory at the 2017 Shenzhen International. He won with a birdie at the first extra hole, in a sudden-death playoff, to defeat Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood had earlier shot a final round of 63 to come from eight strokes back and set the clubhouse lead. Wiesberger had to scramble for pars on the back nine and then almost holed his approach shot on the 72nd hole for the victory. In the playoff, Wiesberger found trouble from the tee, but hit his approach to within five feet for birdie to claim victory. His fourth victory came in his 200th event on the European Tour.[6]
On 26 May 2019, Weisberger won his fifth European Tour title at the Made in Denmark at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort. He won by shooting a final-round 66.[7] On 14 July 2019, he won the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. He won in a playoff over Benjamin Hébert.[8] On 13 October 2019, he won the Italian Open for his third victory of the European Tour season. This pushed him to first place in the season long Race to Dubai.[9]
In May 2021, Wiesberger successfully defended his title at the Made in HimmerLand event. He shot a final-round 64 to win by five shots[10] and advanced back to the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Four weeks later he followed that we a tied 5th finish in the BMW International Open, to increase his chances of a selection to the 2021 European Ryder Cup team.[11]
Amateur wins
- 1997 Austrian Boys Championship
- 2004 Austrian Amateur Match Play Championship, Austrian Amateur Stroke Play Championship
- 2005 Austrian Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Austrian Youths Championship
- 2006 Austrian Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Austrian Youths Championship
Professional wins (12)
European Tour wins (8)
| Legend |
| Rolex Series (2) |
| Other European Tour (6) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 Apr 2012 | Ballantine's Championship1 | 72-65-65-68=270 | −18 | 5 strokes |  Richie Ramsay
|
| 2 | 28 Jul 2012 | Lyoness Open | 71-66-67-65=269 | −19 | 3 strokes |  Thomas Levet,  Shane Lowry
|
| 3 | 5 Jul 2015 | Alstom Open de France | 68-72-66-65=271 | −13 | 3 strokes |  James Morrison
|
| 4 | 23 Apr 2017 | Shenzhen International | 67-65-69-71=272 | −16 | Playoff | Tommy Fleetwood
|
| 5 | 26 May 2019 | Made in Denmark | 68-69-67-66=270 | −14 | 1 stroke | Robert MacIntyre
|
| 6 | 14 Jul 2019 | Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open | 67-61-65-69=262 | −22 | Playoff | Benjamin Hébert
|
| 7 | 13 Oct 2019 | Italian Open | 66-70-67-65=268 | −16 | 1 stroke | Matthew Fitzpatrick
|
| 8 | 30 May 2021 | Made in HimmerLand (2) | 66-65-68-64=263 | −21 | 5 strokes |  Guido Migliozzi
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour
European Tour playoff record (2–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles |
 Thomas Bjørn,  George Coetzee, Mark Foster,  Pablo Larrazábal
|
Bjørn won with birdie on fifth extra hole Foster eliminated by par on fourth hole Larrazábal eliminated by par on second hole Wiesberger eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 2014 | Lyoness Open |  Mikael Lundberg
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2015 | Dubai Duty Free Irish Open | Søren Kjeldsen, Eddie Pepperell
|
Kjeldsen won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2017 | Shenzhen International | Tommy Fleetwood
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2019 | Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open | Benjamin Hébert
|
Won with par on third extra hole |
Asian Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 Apr 2012 | Ballantine's Championship1 | 72-65-65-68=270 | −18 | 5 strokes | Richie Ramsay
|
| 2 | 5 May 2013 | CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters | 67-72-67-67=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Ernie Els
|
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Korean Tour
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jul 2010 | Allianz Golf Open de Lyon | 67-67-71-62=267 | −17 | 2 strokes | Joel Sjöholm
|
| 2 | 10 Oct 2010 | Allianz Golf Open du Grand Toulouse | 70-70-67-68=275 | −9 | 4 strokes | Charles-Édouard Russo
|
Other wins (1)
- 2012 Zurich Open
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T22 | T34 | T43 | T24 | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | T16 | |||
| The Open Championship | T64 | CUT | T68 | CUT | T74 | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T15 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 58 | T40 | |
| PGA Championship | T43 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | 76 | T43 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T32 | NT | T59 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 16 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2018 Masters – 2021 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 0
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T12 | C | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T31 | T14 | T45 | T30 | T37 | T59 | ||||
| Match Play | R64 | T34 | T51 | T17 | T29 | NT1 | T42 | |||
| Invitational | T55 | T25 | T41 | 74 | ||||||
| Champions | T28 | T17 | T35 | T9 | T49 | NT1 |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = no tournament
"T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Austria): 2004, 2006
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Austria): 2005
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2003
Professional
- World Cup (representing Austria): 2013, 2016
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2013 (winners)
- EurAsia Cup (representing Europe): 2016 (winners), 2018 (winners)
See also
References
- ^ "Week 47 2019 Ending 24 Nov 2019" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Wiesberger wins with a wondrous 62". PGA European Tour. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ "Bernd Toasts Maiden Victory". PGA European Tour. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ "Wiesberger wins his home Open". PGA European Tour. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Anand, V (5 May 2013). "Wiesberger wins CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Wiesberger claims dramatic victory in China". PGA European Tour. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ "Wiesberger victorious after thriller in Denmark". PGA European Tour. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ Scott, Steve (14 July 2019). "Bernd Weisberger edges Benjamin Hebert in the gloaming to take Scottish Open title". The Courier. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- ^ Dampf, Andrew (13 October 2019). "Wiesberger wins Italian Open, tops Race to Dubai rankings". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ Stafford, Ali (30 May 2021). "European Tour: Bernd Wiesberger completes Made In Himmerland title defence with five-shot victory". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Bernd Wiesberger". Official World Golf Ranking. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Bernd Wiesberger at the European Tour official site
- Bernd Wiesberger at the Official World Golf Ranking official site