20 Things You Didn’t Know About Thorbjorn Olesen

Get to know seven-time European Tour winner Thorbjorn Olesen a little better

Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark looks across the 17th hole during Day Three of the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Thorbjorn Olesen has been a stalwart of the DP World Tour since gaining his card in 2011. The Dane has since gone on to become one of Denmark's finest-ever golfers, winning eight times on Tour and making his Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018.

Get to know him better with these 20 facts...

Thorbjorn Olesen Facts:

1. His full name is Jacob Thorbjorn Olesen.

2. Thorbjorn translates to 'Thunder Bear' in Danish.

3. He was born in Fureso, Denmark, just north of Copenhagen.

4. For many years, he went by his first name Jacob but he then dropped his given name and went with his middle name because it is far less common in Denmark.

5. He lives in London.

6. He is a member of the ultra-exclusive Queenwood Golf Club in Surrey.

7. He turned pro in 2008 off +3.

8. He is the second-most successful Danish golfer on the DP World Tour with eight wins after Thomas Bjorn who has 15. Other notable Danes include Rasmus Hojgaard with four wins, Nicolai Hojgaard and Soren Kjeldsen with three and Anders Hansen with two.

9. He won four times on the Nordic League between 2008 and 2009, at one stage even winning in consecutive weeks in January 2009.

10. He is good friends with former European Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjorn.

11. He is a football fan and supports FC Copenhagen and Manchester United.

Thorbjorn Olesen with the trophy after his win in the 2022 Betfred British Masters

Thorbjorn Olesen captured the British Masters in 2022

(Image credit: Getty Images)

12. As well as supporting his football teams, his interests include music, movies, theatre and skiing.

13. He finished fourth in the 2008 Scandinavian Masters aged 18 whilst a member of the Nordic League.

14. He won the World Cup of Golf for Denmark in 2016 with Soren Kjeldsen and also won the inaugural GolfSixes for Denmark with Lucas Bjerregaard.

15. Olesen represented Denmark at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing T30.

16. His best finish in a Major championship came at the 2013 Masters, where he finished T6

17. The Dane featured in the 2018 Ryder Cup, which Europe won 17.5-10.5 Olesen impressed in Sunday singles, convincingly beating Jordan Spieth 5&4.

18. Olesen ended a four-year winless streak at the British Masters in 2022, winning by one stroke over Sebastian Soderberg.

19. He is married to his wife Lauren. The couple have two kids, Cooper and Sienna.

20. Olesen has also competed on the PGA Tour, with his best finish in a regular season event coming at the 2018 WGC Invitational where he finished T3.

Thorbjorn Olesen CAREER EARNINGS

In his career on the DP World Tour, the Dane has won €13,757,257. in prize money. His most lucrative season came in 2018 when he took home €2,509,927 after recording one win and seven top-ten finishes.

HOW FAR DOES Thorbjorn Olesen DRIVE THE BALL?

Olesen averaged 299.48 yards for the 2023 DP World Tour season, ranking 109th. The Canadian gained just over three yards from his 297.25-yard average in 2022.

Ben Fleming
Contributor

Ben joined Golf Monthly having completed his NCTJ in multimedia sports journalism at News Associates, London. He is now a freelance journalist who also works for The Independent, Metro, UEFA and Stats Perform.