Current PGA Tour and European Tour No. 1 Henrik Stenson caught up with two players who were no doubt an inspiration to him when setting out on his professional career.
Waiting to interview Stenson after his formal press conference on the eve of this week’s 143rd Open Championship was fellow Swedish-born professional Pierre Fulke and Pierre Ulrich Johansson.
Between them Fulke and Johansson captured eight European Tour events.
The first of Fulke’s three European Tour wins came at the 1999 Lancome Trophy but his most successful season was 2000, when he won the Scottish PGA Championship and then held off both Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington to capture the 2000 season-ending Volvo Masters in Jerez to finish 12th on the European Tour Order of Merit.
Henrik Stenson wraps his arms around good friends and past European Tour stars Pierre Fulke (left) and Pierre Ulrik Johansson. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
It was a victory that saw him qualify for the 2001 Ryder Cup team but after the 911 terrorist attacks in the US the series of matches was put back a year to 2002, and with Fulke being in Sam Torrance’s team that defeated the Americans.
Later in 2001 Fulke tackled American Steve Stricker in the final of the WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship and staged on the stunning Sandbelt gem at the Metropolitan Club in Melbourne, Australia.
And while Fulke lost 2 & 1 to Stricker the Swede, with Aussie caddy John Hort on the bag, greatly impressed with his golfing skills that week.
In 2004, Fulke slipped to 134th place on the Order of Merit, but he retained his tour card for 2005 thanks to a five year exemption for his Volvo Masters victory. In 2005, he recovered some of his form and finished 49th on the Order of Merit.
He missed the majority of the 2006 season through injury and in 2007 he announced that he was retiring from tournament golf to concentrate on golf course design.
Johansson turned professional later in 1990 and won his Tour card on his first visit to Q-School.
He continued that impressive early career form in being awarded the coveted Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award for 1991.
Johansson would go on to win five European Tour events between 1991 and 1997.
In 2001, Johansson moved to the United States to play on the PGA Tour, after successfully negotiating the 2000 Qualifying School.
He was a member of the PGA Tour for four seasons, but failed to make the same impact as he had in Europe. His best PGA Tour finish is tied sixth, which by coincidence he achieved once in each of those four seasons.
In 2001 and 2002 he only just held onto his card via his money list placing. In 2003 he failed to do so, but he made a successful return trip to the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.
In 2004 he lost six months to injury and ended the year with a failed trip to the Qualifying Tournament. In 2005 and 2006 he played on the Nationwide Tour with appearances on the PGA Tour and the European Tour without recovering his form.
In 2007, Johansson had to rely on wild card entries to play on the European Tour, but a six shot victory at the Russian Open secured his playing rights until 2009.
Johansson was the first Swede to play in the Ryder Cup twice (1995 and 1997) and he finished on the winning side both times.
He was a member of winning Swedish teams at the 1991 Alfred Dunhill Cup and the World Cup of Golf.
And something of interest is that Johansson was the first player to start wearing his cap back the front and a trait that was soon picked up upon by many of his supporters.
However it was great to see both Pierre’s along with Henrik enjoying catching up with each other and spending some 20 minutes just chatting away and no doubt reliving old times given they were speaking in Swedish.
