Niclas Krister Fasth (born 29 April 1972) is a Swedish professional golfer, who has won six times on the European Tour. He has finished second in the 2001 Open Championship and fourth in the 2007 U.S. Open and represented Europe winning the 2002 Ryder Cup.
Early life
Fasth was born in Gothenburg. In 1982, when he was 10 years old, his parents bought a summer house close to Lysegården Golf Club in Kungälv, north of Gothenburg. His family, with father Kristher, mother Inga-Lill and younger sister Jessica, used to spend their summers there and began playing golf. With a lot of friends also playing the game, young Fasth was always at the golf course, practiced a lot and showed early talent.
Beside golf, Fasth practiced other sports and during winter time also showed talent in ice hockey.
At 16 years of age, he was adopted at the Swedish upper secondary sports school in Mark, outside Borås, to combine studying with golf training. The school won the Swedish School Championship in 1988, with Fasth winning individually, and represented Sweden at the international final in England.
Amateur career
In 1990, Fasth won the Swedish Teen-Tour Order of Merit for boys up to 19.
In 1991, he won the Greek Open Amateur Championship at Glyfada, Athens, with a new 72-hole tournament record 289,
Fasth was the only amateur to make the cut at the 1992 Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour at Barsebäck Golf & Country Club in Sweden, finishing tied 35th, 10 strokes behind winner, world number one, Nick Faldo.
He represented Sweden on all age levels. In 1992, he was part of the winning Swedish team at the European Youths' Team Championship in Helsinki, Finland, beating England in the final. Later that year, as one of the four best amateurs in the country, he was part of the Swedish team at the 1992 Eisenhower Trophy at Capilano Golf & Country Club, outside Vancouver, Canada, finishing 5th as a team and Fasth best Swede 5th individually. Later during his first year as a professional he won three events on the European second tier Challenge Tour, two of them co-sanctioned by the Swedish Golf Tour, why he was awarded the 1993 season Swedish Golf Tour Order of Merit winner.
Awards and honors
- In 1997, Fasth earned Elite Sign No. 108 by the Swedish Golf Federation, on the basis of national team appearances and national championship performances.
- In 2003, the three Swedish teammates of the victorious European Ryder Cup team the previous year, Fasth, Pierre Fulke and Jesper 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.
- 1992 Swedish Junior Match-Play Championship
- European Youths' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1992 (winners)
- St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1992
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Sweden): 1992
Professional
- WGC-World Cup (representing Sweden): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2002 (winners)
- Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2002, 2003, 2005
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2007 (winners), 2009
See also
- 1997 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
- List of golfers with most Challenge Tour wins