Jesper Parnevik

Jesper Bo Parnevik (; born 7 March 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer. He spent 38 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2000 and 2001.

Early life

Parnevik was born in Botkyrka, Stockholm County, and is the son of Swedish entertainer Bosse Parnevik and his wife Gertie (b. 1940). He grew up in Åkersberga.

Parnevik became a member of the first group of students in Sweden to combine studying with golf training at the Swedish upper secondary sports school in Danderyd outside Stockholm. At age 15, Parnevik spent 10 days in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and developed an appreciation for life in the United States; he later moved to Palm Beach County, Florida, to attend Palm Beach Junior College in Lake Worth on a golf scholarship.

Amateur career

Parnevik was a member of the team representing Sweden at the 1984 and 1986 Eisenhower Trophy. He was also part of the Swedish team finishing second, after losing in the final against Scotland, at the 1985 European Amateur Team Championship on home soil in Halmstad, Sweden, where Parnevik won individually at the initial qualifying stroke-play competition.

Professional career

In 1986, Parnevik turned professional. After winning the Swedish Golf Tour Order of Merit in 1988, including a runner-up finish to Vijay Singh at the 1988 Swedish PGA Championship, he scored four wins on the European Tour. His breakthrough came when he out-dueled Payne Stewart at the 1993 Scottish Open at Gleneagles King's Course.

With victories in 1995 and 1998, Parnevik became the first Swede to win twice on the European Tour on home soil. At his first victory at the Scandinavian Masters in 1995 at Barsebäck Golf & Country Club, he played 72 holes competition and 18 holes pro-am without a bogey, but with one double-bogey.

PGA Tour

Based in Florida, he joined the PGA Tour in the mid-90s, subsequently winning five events. His playing career also includes three Ryder Cup appearances (1997, 1999, and 2002) and two runner-up finishes in The Open (1994 and 1997). His career best world ranking of seventh, which he attained on 14 May 2000, was the highest world ranking achieved by a Swedish golfer until Henrik Stenson reached the top five in February 2007.

In late 2000, Parnevik underwent hip surgery at the persuasion of Greg Norman, who had undergone similar surgery.

Parnevik finished second in the Valero Texas Open in October 2007, losing to Justin Leonard in a playoff. In 2009, after a tie for 17th at the SAS Masters in Sweden, Parnevik underwent further hip surgery in Vail, Colorado, United States, which cut short his 2009 season on the PGA Tour. He also cited the hip injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament ("Q-School") in December 2009.

In 2010, Parnevik missed cuts in his first three tournaments and had to withdraw again after a first round 68 at the Northern Trust Open because of an ailing back. He had emergency surgery where it was discovered that he had a broken lumbar vertebrae that could put his career in jeopardy.

Parnevik played the 2011 PGA Tour season on a fully exempt status for his Top 50 All-Time Earnings ranking. He was allowed to reuse this one-time exemption after being able to play only five tournaments in 2010. He played the 2012 and 2013 seasons on a Medical Extension after suffering a severe injury to his right hand in a boating accident. Despite his limited play, Parnevik made news in 2013 after bogeying the 18th hole at the RBC Heritage, which allowed a record-tying 91 players to make the 36 hole cut.

Plagued by injuries for years, Parnevik staged a comeback on the Champions Tour when he became eligible in 2015. He started 2016 with a tie for third at the Chubb Classic, losing out to former world number one golfers Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples. He got his first win on the Champions Tour in the same year at the Insperity Invitational.

Style

Parnevik is known for his distinctive and eccentric taste in clothes and fashion as well as his playing achievements, a fashion sense that led golf writer Dan Jenkins to describe him as "the last guy to climb out of the clown car at the circus". His on-course trademark was the upturned bill on his baseball cap. While on the European Ryder Cup team, he received a customized team cap with the Ryder Cup logo on the bottom of the bill instead of the front, so that it could be seen with the bill turned up. He has since stopped wearing the flipped-bill hat, opting for strawhats and visors but retains a flamboyant sense of fashion, such as disco-style purple trousers and other golf apparel designed by Johan Lindeberg. He has been politely described as "eclectic", and has been known to change outfits at the halfway stage of a round of tournament golf. Beginning in 2006, one of his new on-course fashion statements was a necktie worn under a vest. Puma Golf signed Jesper Parnevik in 2014 and he gets credited for his influence on their LUX Golf Appearel Line. Since wearing Puma Clothes he once again wears a custom made and more modern looking flipped bill hat. He is also known to eat volcanic dust as a dietary supplement. Parnevik's nickname on tour is "Spaceman".

Awards and honors

• In 1998, Parnevik was awarded honorary member of the PGA of Sweden.
• He was awarded the 1999 Swedish Golfer of the Year.
• In 2003, the three Swedish teammates of the victorious European Ryder Cup team the previous year, Niclas Fasth, Pierre Fulke and Parnevik, was each, by the Swedish Golf Federation, awarded the Golden Club, the highest award for contributions to Swedish golf, as the 30th, 31st and 32nd recipients.
• In 2023, he was inducted into the Swedish Golf Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Parnevik has a waterfront home in Tequesta, Florida. He is married to Mia Parnevik (née Sandsten 1968), and they have three daughters and one son. His oldest daughter Peg Parnevik has a career as a pop singer. Another daughter, Penny, is married to former NHL ice hockey player Douglas Murray. His son Phoenix is named after Parnevik's first PGA Tour win at the 1998 Phoenix Open.

Parnevik is credited with having introduced fellow professional golfer Tiger Woods to Swedish au pair Elin Nordegren (previously employed by Parnevik), whom Woods eventually married. Parnevik subsequently stated in 2009 that he regretted his responsibility for this introduction after reports of Woods' infidelity surfaced that year.

In popular culture

• Parnevik made a cameo in the 2007 comedy, Who's Your Caddy, in which he plays himself.
• Parnevik and his family starred in a reality TV show, Parneviks, which aired on TV3 in Sweden for four seasons from 2015 to 2018, giving insights into his life in Florida.

Amateur wins

• 1985 Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	18 Jan 1998	Phoenix Open	−15 (68-68-66-67=269)	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Tommy Armour III, Template:Flagicon Brent Geiberger, Template:Flagicon Steve Pate, Template:Flagicon Tom Watson
2	25 Apr 1999	Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic	−23 (65-63-67-70=265)	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk
3	23 Jan 2000	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	−27 (69-67-66-64-65=331)	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Rory Sabbatini
4	14 May 2000	GTE Byron Nelson Classic	−11 (70-65-68-66=269)	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Davis Love III, Template:Flagicon Phil Mickelson
5	11 Mar 2001	Honda Classic	−18 (65-67-66-72=270)	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Mark Calcavecchia, Template:Flagicon Geoff Ogilvy, Template:Flagicon Craig Perks

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2000	GTE Byron Nelson Classic	Template:Flagicon Davis Love III, Template:Flagicon Phil Mickelson	Won with par on third extra hole Mickelson eliminated by birdie on second hole
2	2007	Valero Texas Open	Template:Flagicon Justin Leonard	Lost to birdie on third extra hole

European Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	10 Jul 1993	Bell's Scottish Open	−9 (64-66-70-71=271)	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Payne Stewart
2	6 Aug 1995	Volvo Scandinavian Masters	−18 (67-67-69-67=270)	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Colin Montgomerie
3	15 Sep 1996	Trophée Lancôme	−12 (66-69-66-67=268)	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Colin Montgomerie
4	2 Aug 1998	Volvo Scandinavian Masters (2)	−11 (67-65-71-70=273)	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Darren Clarke

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1992	Turespaña Open de Baleares	Template:Flagicon Seve Ballesteros	Lost to birdie on sixth extra hole

Challenge Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	16 Sep 1990	SI Compaq Open	−9 (69-68-71-67=275)	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon John Lindberg

Swedish Golf Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	29 May 1988	Ramlösa Open	−9 (66-72-68-73=279)	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Terry Price
2	26 Jun 1988	Odense Open	−18 (69-66-63=198)	9 strokes	Template:Flagicon Thomas Nilsson

Other wins (2)

• 1988 Open Passing Shot (France)
• 1997 Johnnie Walker Super Tour

PGA Tour Champions wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	8 May 2016	Insperity Invitational	−12 (69-68-67=204)	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon David Frost, Template:Flagicon Mike Goodes, Template:Flagicon Jeff Maggert

Results in major championships

Tournament	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament					T21	T31	CUT
U.S. Open					T48	T14	T17
The Open Championship	T21	2	T24	T45	T2	T4	T10
PGA Championship		CUT	T20	T5	T45	CUT	T10

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Masters Tournament	T40	T20	T29			CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	T30	T54	CUT					T74
The Open Championship	T36	T9	T28	DQ
PGA Championship	T51	T13	CUT	T34	CUT	T28	CUT

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
DQ = Disqualified
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	5
U.S. Open	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	6
The Open Championship	0	2	0	3	5	7	11	11
PGA Championship	0	0	0	1	2	4	13	8
Totals	0	2	0	4	7	15	39	30

• Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1995 Open Championship – 1998 Open Championship)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1999 Open Championship – 1999 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
The Players Championship	T49	T53	CUT	T25	T23	CUT	CUT	CUT	T48	T33	T46	T38	CUT	T69

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Match Play	R64	R16		R64
Championship		WD	NT1
Invitational	T27			T71	T71	T22

¹Cancelled due to 9/11

  Top 10

  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament

Results in senior major championships

Tournament	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
The Tradition	T47	51	T47	T56	DQ	NT				T63
Senior PGA Championship	T34	CUT	T21	T19	T12	NT		CUT		CUT
U.S. Senior Open		T58	T18	CUT		NT
Senior Players Championship	T17	T13	T54	T20		T33		T66
Senior British Open Championship	T51	T18		T18		NT

  Did not play

"T" indicates a tie for a place
CUT = missed the halfway cut
DQ = disqualified
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Team appearances

Amateur

• European Boys' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1982
• Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1982
• European Youths' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1984
• Eisenhower Trophy (representing Sweden): 1984, 1986
• European Amateur Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1985
• St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1986

Professional

• Europcar Cup (representing Sweden): 1988 (winners)
• Dunhill Cup (representing Sweden): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
• World Cup (representing Sweden): 1994, 1995
• Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1997 (winners), 1999, 2002 (winners)

See also

• 1993 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

External links

• Template:PGATour player
• Template:EuroTour player
• Template:OWGR