Name Donald Swaelens | Role Golfer | |
Donald Swaelens (1935/36 – 25 April 1975) was a Belgian professional golfer.
Contents
- Golf career
- Memorial Tournament
- Professional wins
- Results in major championships
- Team appearances
- References
Golf career
Like his father Jules, Swaelens taught golf at Royal Latem Golf Club and in 1972, 1973 and 1974 played in thirty tournaments on the recently formed European Tour. He also played in The Open Championship several times. His best result was in 1974 at Royal Lytham & St Annes where he finished tied for seventh.
In 1973, he finished tied for second, with Dale Hayes, in the Viyella PGA Championship held at Wentworth, three shots behind Peter Oosterhuis. In 1974 he finished third in the Dutch Open at Koninklijke Haagsche Golf & Country Club.
Swaelens died in 1975 at the age of 39 from cancer. Until Nicolas Colsaerts played in 2013, he was the only Belgian golfer to be invited to the Masters Tournament, although the cancer prevented him from taking part.
Memorial Tournament
The Donald Swaelens Memorial (later called the Donald Swaelens Challenge) is played each year celebrating his memory. The tournament was originally an 8-man professional tournament sponsored by Laurent-Perrier but is now an amateur tournament.
Winners of the trophy include:
Professional wins
Results in major championships
Note: Swaelens only played in The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10