Helen Alfredsson

Amateur career

Alfredsson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. She represented Sweden in European Junior and Senior Team championships. She was a member of the Swedish team in the Espirito Santo Trophy World Amateur Team Championship in 1986 and 1988 and is a six-time Swedish national champion winning from 1981 through 1984, in 1986 and 1988.

She attended United States International University, graduating in 1988 with a degree in International Business and then tried a career in Paris as a model. During 1986-1988 she played five times on the Swedish Telia Tour, winning at least once a year. She turned professional on 1 January 1989.

Professional career

Alfredsson began her professional career on the Ladies European Tour where she was rookie of the year in 1989. The next year, in 1990, she claimed her maiden professional win at the Women's British Open. She won twice on the LET in 1991 and won once each on the ALPG and Japanese tours. She earned exempt status for the 1992 LPGA Tour season by tying for 17th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.

She earned Rookie of the Year honors on the LPGA Tour in 1992 and has won seven LPGA Tour events, including one LPGA major: the 1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore. A little over three months after her Dinah Shore victory, Alfredsson nearly won the U.S. Women's Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Alfredsson finished tied for 2nd, one shot behind winner Lauri Merten.

Alfredsson has continued to play a limited number of events in Europe, where she has won eleven events. She finished at the top of the European money list in 1998. She has been a member of the European team in the Solheim Cup 8 times: in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2009. She was captain of the European Solheim Cup team in the 2007 Solheim Cup, in which Europe lost to the USA 12-16.

While playing golf, Alfredsson has been known to curse long and loud in Swedish. The Financial Times of London once editorialized, "They can be louder and more richly worded than many of Lenny Bruce's best performances." Alfredsson said about cursing "You have to stay so focused on the tour," she said. "You work so hard, you don't want anything to interfere. But then all of a sudden this little devil comes crawling out, saying, 'It's time to do something. You've been good too long.'"

In September 2013, Alfredsson officially announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour.

She has played in the Legends Tour in recent years, including playing in the inaugural senior major, the Senior LPGA Championship in 2017, tying for third place. She will be eligible for the 2018 U.S. Senior Women's Open based on her Solheim Cup status.

Personal life

Alfredsson is married to former National Hockey League player Kent Nilsson and is stepmother of his son, hockey player Robert Nilsson.

LPGA Tour wins (7)

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–3)

Ladies European Tour wins (11)

Note: The Women's British Open was not co-sanctioned by the LPGA until 1994, and did not become an LPGA major until 2001.
^The Evian Masters has been co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour since 2000.

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (3)

ALPG Tour wins (1)

Other wins (2)

Results timeline

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
^^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DQ = disqualified
T = tied
Green background for a win. Yellow background for a top-10 finish.

Summary

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional