Following a difficult few years, Thorbjorn Olsen claimed his first victory since 2018 at the 2022 British Masters this past May. In his return to form, can we expect to see him compete at top events such as the 2023 Waste Management Phoenix Open?
32-year-old Thorbjorn Olsen is the most prominent Danish professional golfers. He currently plays on the European Tour, where he's won six tournaments.
Olsen's professional career began in 2008, but it wasn't until 2010 that he claimed exemption for the European Tour after finishing third in the Challenge Tour.
Thorbjorn Olsen European Tour Wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Score | Won by | Runner—up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Apr 2012 | Sicilian Open | -15 (68-69-67-69-273) | 1 stroke | Chris Wood |
| 2 | 26 Oct 2014 | ISPS Handa Perth International | -17 (64-69-67-71=271) | 3 strokes | Victor Dubuisson |
| 3 | 4 Oct 2015 | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | -18 (68-66-65-71=270) | 3 strokes | Brooks Koepka |
| 4 | 6 Nov 2016 | Turkish Airlines Open | -20 (65-62-68-69=264) | 3 strokes | David Horsey |
| 5 | 3 Jun 2018 | Italian Open | -22 (65-68-65-64=262) | 1 stroke | Francesco Molinari |
| 6 | 8 May 2022 | Betfred British Masters | -10 (66-70-69-73=278) | 1 stroke | Sebastian Soderberg |
Olsen has yet to compete and win an event on American soil, and his likelihood of competing at the 2023 WM Phoenix Open depends on his winter 2022 and early 2023 schedule.
Should he continue to perform well, he could stop in Arizona next year. And for the avid sports bettor, Caesars sportsbook Arizona will be primed with a wealth of excellent value on lower-ranked players such as Olsen.
On sports wagering, bettors backing Olsen at the British Masters would have cashed a great price earlier this year.
Olsen at the 2022 British Masters
Fours year without a win made it even more special when Olsen delivered an emphatic display en route to a second consecutive eagle-birdie to win the BetFred British Masters by a single shot.
It had been a difficult journey for Olsen, whose last victory came in 2018. His win at the Belfry arrived six months following a sexual assault allegation he was later cleared from.
Sitting at 62nd in the world rankings at the time, he then fell to 276 and previously wondered if he could ever return to a noteworthy level of form.
This was put to bed at the British Masters. Reaching the 16th tee, he trailed Sebastian Soderberg, who was comfortably at nine under par.
Olsen needed back-to-back birdies on the final two holes, which would have forced a playoff. However, the Dane delivered one better after putting 28 feet on the 17th and 35 feet on the 18th for an incredible victory.
He produced a replica finish in the third round and gave him his sixth win on the DP World Tour.
“It's a massive tournament that has been won by so many great names, so it's a privilege to have my name on the trophy.”
Thorbjorn Olesen
“It was obviously a pretty tough day, and I hit a lot of shots to the left. I was struggling. But I somehow managed to keep going, and yeah, what a finish. Incredible,” he added.
Thorbjorn Olesen
“Standing on the 17th tee, I think I can make birdie and maybe get into a playoff. But, when I get the chance on the 17, I prefer to take that. Eighteen is a tough hole, so par is a good score, obviously. I just gave it everything.”
Thorbjorn Olesen
Heading towards the winter schedule, we can expect Olsen to remain active as he has been during the summer and autumn months. He hasn't achieved a T10 finish or come close to his British Masters efforts, but he's undoubtedly performing better than he has in recent years.
At the Open De France in September, Olsen finished T20. He then went on the Alfred Dunhill Link Championship in Scotland and finished T59.
The Andalucia Masters in Spain saw another excellent performance where he finished T21, and most recently, at the Nedbank Golf Challenge last week, he ended the event at +3 and T44.
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