Robert Karlsson is a Swedish
professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Karlsson was born in Katrineholm, Sweden. His father
was a greenkeeper. He turned professional in 1989
and qualified for membership of the European Tour at
the 1990 Qualifying School. He has retained his card
since then and has had a steady career since then,
with five top twenty places on the Order of Merit,
including a best of fourth in 2006. He has won eight
events on the tour.
At the 2006 Celtic Manor Wales Open, Karlsson broke
the European Tour's 36 hole and 54 hole scoring
records by shooting 124 for the first two rounds and
189 for the first three. However as the course was a
par 69, which is rare at the top level, his to-par
scores were a much less remarkable 14 under after
two rounds and 18 under after three.
Karlsson's second victory of 2006 at the Deutsche
Bank Players Championship of Europe in July helped
him reach the top 50 of the Official World Golf
Rankings and in 2008 he entered the top 25. His win
at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship took him to
number 8 in October 2008.
Karlsson was a member of the Continental Europe team
in the Seve Trophy in 2000, 2002 and 2007. In 1999
he was eleventh on the Ryder Cup qualifying table
just missing out on the last automatic place, and
was not selected as a captain's pick. He made his
Ryder Cup debut in 2006, at the age of 37, along
with fellow Swede Henrik Stenson.
Karlsson is one of the tallest golfers on the
European Tour at 6ft 5in. Like many leading Swedish
golfers he lives outside his home country, basing
himself in the tax haven of Monaco.
