Pia Nilsson (born 8 May 1958) is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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 ...

and coach. She was one of the two players, who were the first female Swedes to play collegiate golf at a university in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and the first Swede to captain a European

Solheim Cup The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian- American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving forc ...

team.

Early years

Born in Malmö, Nilsson began playing golf at around 10 years of age, with her family at Torekov Golf Club in another part of

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

in southern Sweden, when they spend their summers there. At 14 years of age, her handicap had gone down to 10. In her golf career, she later also came to represent Ystad Golf Club, Jönköping Golf Club,

Ljunghusen Golf Club Ljunghusen Golf Club is a links golf club located in Höllviken, Skåne County in Sweden. It has hosted the PLM Open on the European Tour. History The club is located on Sweden's southern tip, along the Baltic Sea. Its first six holes were built ...

and Lidingö Golf Club.

Amateur career

Nilsson first represented Sweden at the

European Lady Junior's Team Championship The European Lady Junior's Team Championship was a European amateur team golf championship for women under 22 organized by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1968. It was played every year until 1984, then every second y ...

in 1975 and continued to do so five years in a row. In 1978, at Is Molas Golf Club,

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, Italy, Sweden won the championship for the first time ever. In 1976, at 18 years of age, Nilsson reached the semi-finals of the Swedish Match-play Championship and finished second at the Swedish International Stroke-play Championship. At the last-mentioned tournament, she was also part of winning the Swedish Team Championship with Ljunghusen Golf Club. Her achievements in 1976, earned her a place, as one of the three best female amateurs in the country, in the Swedish team at 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 ...

. In 1977, Nilsson beat her Swedish compatriot

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 ...

in a play-off for the title at en international amateur tournament in Torreon, Mexico. In 1979, Nilsson won the Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship at Sollentuna Golf Club outside

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. She appeared in the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

at the

Pinehurst Resort Pinehurst Resort is a golf resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, United States. It has hosted a number of prestigious golf tournaments including four U.S. Open Championships, one U.S. Women's Open, three U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship, an ...

Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst, officially The Village of Pinehurst, is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,581, up from 13,124 in 2010 United States census, 2010. "Pinehur ...

, United States, were the Swedish team finished 7th and Nilsson 10th individually as best Swedish player. She played her collegiate golf at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education in 1981 having made All-Conference Second Team in 1980–1981. Together with

, Nilsson was the first female Swede to play collegiate golf at a University in the United States. In March 1981, Nilsson represented Sweden, together with Charlotte Montgomery, at the international World Cup team competition for two-women national teams in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

, Colombia. Sweden won as a team, 7 strokes ahead of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. She was a member of the winning Swedish team at the 1981

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 pl ...

at Troia Golf Club,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. It was Sweden's first victory ever in this championship.

Professional career

After being ill at the previous attempt in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, six months earlier, Nilsson qualified for the U.S.-based

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

at her third attempt, when she succeeded through the LPGA Tour Qualifying School at Bent Tree, Sarasota, Florida, in December 1982, finishing 3rd among 153 players competing for 15 available spots. She played on the

from 1983 to 1987 with moderate success. Her best finish was tied 11th at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Konica San Jose Classic The Konica San Jose Classic was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1983 to 1989. It was played at the Almaden Golf & Country Club in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and po ...

held at the Almaden Golf & Country Club in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, six strokes behind winner

Amy Alcott Amy Alcott (born February 22, 1956) is an American professional golfer and golf course designer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1975, and won five major championships and 29 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf ...

. Nilsson ended the 1984 season 84th on the LPGA Tour money ranking. She also played in Europe, winning her first professional tournament on the

Swedish Golf Tour The Swedish Golf Tour, currently titled as the Cutter & Buck Tour for sponsorship reasons, is a developmental professional golf which was formerly operated by Svenska Golftourerna AB, as well as being owned equally by the Swedish Golf Federatio ...

, at the time named the Telia Tour, at the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

SI Trygg-Hansa Open The Swedish International Stroke Play Championship or Swedish International (SI) was a golf tournament played in Sweden from 1945 to 2007. It has been featured on the Swedish Golf Tour and the Challenge Tour. Named the Swedish Golf Federation 72- ...

. She had seven other Swedish Golf Tour wins 1986–1990, including the

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

Swedish Matchplay Championship The Swedish Match Play Championship is a golf tournament played since 1904, held for both men and women. It is the oldest and most traditional golf tournament in Sweden. The name SM is a Swedish abbreviation for ''Svenska Mästerskapet'' 'Swedish ...

, which since 1984 was open for professionals to enter. She became head coach for the Swedish National Women's Teams (juniors, amateurs and pros) in Sweden from 1990 to 1995 and Head Coach for the Swedish National Teams (men and women; pros, amateurs and juniors) from 1996 to 1998. By captain Mickey Walker, Nilsson was appointed assistant captain of the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

European Solheim Cup team. Two years later, as the first ever Swede, she was captain of the European team in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

Muirfield Village Muirfield Village is an “upscale” golf-oriented community in the central United States, located in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. Origins Founded by Jack Nicklaus, it is named after Muirfield, Scotland, where he won the first of ...

, Ohio, United States, were the U.S. team defeated the European team by 16–12. Six of the twelve players in the European team, and four of the five captain picks, were Swedish born. She was co-founder with Lynn Marriott and head coach of Vision54 Golf Academy in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States and co-author of books ''Every Shot Must Have a Purpose'' and ''The Game Before the Game''. She coached a number of LPGA Tour professionals including being coach and mentor to

Annika Sörenstam Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 96 international p ...

Personal life

She lives in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

, United States, with a summer house in

Torekov Torekov () is a locality situated in Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 863 inhabitants in 2010. It is still a fishing village but it is today known as a summer resort. In August 1971 Torekov hosted a meeting in which it was decided ...

, Sweden and is a member of Talking Stick Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona and Torekov Golf Club, Sweden. She was a member of the board of the PGA of Sweden 1989–1993 and became an Honorary member of the PGA of Sweden in 1999 and of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals in 2000.

Amateur wins

*1977 International tournament (Torreon, Mexico) *1979 Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship *1981 World Cup (Cali, Colombia) (team with

)

Professional wins

Swedish Golf Tour wins (8)

*1986 (2) Hooks Pro-Am,

*1987 (1) IBM Ladies Open *1988 (1)

Ängsö Ladies Open The Ängsö Ladies Open was a women's professional golf tournament on the Swedish Golf Tour (women), Swedish Golf Tour played annually from 1988 until 1994. It was always held at the Ängsö Golf Club in Västerås, Sweden. Winners References< ...

*1989 (3) Stora Lundby Ladies Open, Swedish Match-play Championship, Grundig Team Trophy (with Hillewi Hagström) *1990 (1) Grundig Team Trophy (with Hillewi Hagström)

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing Sweden): 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 (winners), 1979 *

(representing Sweden):

1976 Events January * January 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...

(representing Sweden):

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, 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 (no ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

(winners) *World Cup (Cali, Colombia): 1981 (winners) Professional *

(representing Europe):

(non-playing captain)

Awards and honors

*1982 Elite Sign No. 68 by the

Swedish Golf Federation The Swedish Golf Federation (, 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 level. It organizes tournamen ...

, on the basis of national team appearances and national championship performances *1993 Merit Sign in Gold by PGA of Sweden *1994 Swedish Female Sports Coach of the Year *1995 Swedish Sports Coach of the Year *1995 Swedish Golf Federation Golden Club for contributions to Swedish golf *1998 King of Sweden Medal of the 8th dimension with a Royal Blue Ribbon for leadership in sports *1998 Honorary Member of the PGA of Sweden. *1999 Golf Digest Japan Golf Coach of the Year *2001 National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame *2010 Golf Digest #1 ranked Women Teacher in America *2017 Erik Runfelt medal *2023 Inducted into the Swedish Golf Hall of Fame. *PGA's of Europe Five-Star Professional award

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nilsson, Pia Swedish female golfers LPGA Tour golfers Ladies European Tour golfers Arizona State Sun Devils women's golfers Swedish expatriate golfers in the United States Golfers from Malmö People from Båstad Municipality Golfers from Scottsdale, Arizona 1958 births Living people 20th-century Swedish sportswomen