Player Profile - Alexander Noren

This week we highlight the recent career of European rising star Alexander Noren, winner of the 2011 Wales Open and Scandinavian Masters. 29-year-old Noren was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1982. After taking to the game of golf the age of 8, the young Noren honed his skills in the city of his birth and won five amateur tournaments before taking up golf professionally.

Like many players who hope to enjoy a professional career, Noren left Europe to study in the United States, where he completed his studies at Oklahoma State University. In 2005, at the age of 23, he turned professional and won an exemption on the Challenge Tour, a second-tier golf tour that serves as a stepping-stone for players who wish to debut on the European Tour.

Noren’s debut season on the Challenge Tour in 2006 was a successful one, in which he adapted to the pace of professional golf. His first win came at the Rolex Cup, where he beat fellow-Swede Johan Axgren and Britain’s Gareth Davies by three strokes to win the tournament. Following this initial success, Noren finished third in the Challenge Tour rankings for 2006 and joined the European Tour the following season. 2009 was the season in which Noren carded his first victory on the European Tour, winning the Omega European Masters by two strokes over Welshman Bradley Dredge. At the end of 2009, he was ranked 25th on the Race to Dubai.

This season has seen two impressive wins from Noren. Last month he was victorious at the Wales Open, beating Frenchman Grégory Bourdy and Denmark’s Anders Hansen by two strokes. On Sunday, Noren overcame windy conditions to seize victory at the Scandinavian Masters, winning by an impressive seven strokes over Englishman Richard Finch.

Golf fans can look forward to more impressive victories from Alex Noren as he continues his successful career on the European Tour.

Golfweather Editorial