Simon_Thornton
Simon Thornton
Irish professional golfer (born 1977)
Simon Thornton (born 18 March 1977) is an Irish professional golfer. He won the 2013 Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open on the European Tour.
| Simon Thornton | |
|---|---|
Thornton at the 2010 KLM Open | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1977-03-18) 18 March 1977 (age 47) Bradford, England |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  Ireland |
| Residence | Newcastle, Northern Ireland |
| Spouse |
Ciara (m. 2004) |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2005 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Challenge Tour PGA EuroPro Tour |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Challenge Tour | 1 |
| Other | 6 |
Thornton was a late starter to golf, only taking up the sport in his late teens and turning professional at the advanced age of 28.[1] He began as an assistant club professional at Royal County Down, playing in regional Irish PGA events, where his achievements included recording four straight monthly wins with the Ulster Golfers Alliance.[2] He began playing on the Challenge Tour in 2009, finishing 51st before earning his European Tour card at qualifying school at the end of the season. His debut season on the full tour was unsuccessful, and he returned to the Challenge Tour for 2011, finishing in 12th position to secure a quick return to the European Tour. In June 2013 won the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open in France, beating Tjaart van der Walt at the first hole on a sudden-death playoff.[3][4] His win gave him an exemption of the European Tour until the end of 2014. 2014 was, however, a poor season and in 2015 he played a mixture of European Tour and Challenge Tour events but failed to retain his card on either tour.
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Jun 2013 | Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open1 | −5 (74-70-65-70=279) | Playoff |  Tjaart van der Walt |
1Dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013 | Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open | Tjaart van der Walt |
Won with par on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Jun 2013 | Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open1 | −5 (74-70-65-70=279) | Playoff | Tjaart van der Walt |
1Dual-ranking event with the European Tour
Challenge Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013 | Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open | Tjaart van der Walt |
Won with par on first extra hole |
PGA EuroPro Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Jun 2008 | Bovey Castle Championship | −6 (70-68-66=204) | 4 strokes | Noel Fox,  Martin LeMesurier |
| 2 | 20 Aug 2021 | NI Masters | −14 (60-72-67=199) | 2 strokes | David Langley |
Other wins (4)
- 2005 Ulster PGA Championship
- 2011 Irish PGA Championship
- 2018 Irish PGA Championship
- 2020 Irish PGA Championship
Professional
- PGA Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 2022
- Keogh, Brian (13 November 2008). "Thornton close to Tour dream". Irish Golf Desk. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- Edenmore Golf Club Archived November 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- "Ireland's Simon Thornton claims first ever European Tour title". Irish Independent. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- "Irish golfer Simon Thornton dedicates triumph to late dad on Father's Day". The Score. 16 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- Simon Thornton at the European Tour official site
- Simon Thornton at the Official World Golf Ranking official site