Wil Besseling (born 9 December 1985) is a Dutch professional golfer.
Early life and amateur career Besseling was born in Utrecht. He won the Dutch Amateur Match Play Championship in 2001, just two years after taking up the sport. The highlight of his amateur career came in 2006, when he won the Eisenhower Trophy in partnership with Joost Luiten and Tim Sluiter, and also finished with the lowest individual score.
Professional career In 2006, Besseling turned pro. He played on the EPD Tour, one of the developmental golf tours based in Europe, during 2007. He finished 5th on the 2007 Order of Merit, having been in the top 20 in all but two events, with seven top tens and one victory.
At the end of the year, Besseling attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school. He was unsuccessful, and had to settle playing on the second tier Challenge Tour in 2008. He won his first title on that tour at the second tournament of the season, the Club Colombia Masters, when he was a runaway winner, finishing seven strokes clear of the field. He also collected three runners-up prizes during the year, and ended the season in 15th place on the money list to graduate directly to the European Tour for 2009.
Amateur wins 2001 Dutch Amateur Match Play Championship
Professional wins (4) Challenge Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunners-up113 Apr 2008Club Colombia Masters1−16 (67-66-69-66=268)7 strokes Antti Ahokas, Mark Haastrup 1Co-sanctioned by the Tour de las Américas
Challenge Tour playoff record (0–2) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result12008Trophée du Golf Club de Genève Klas Eriksson, Alexandre RochaEriksson won with birdie on fourth extra holeRocha eliminated by par on third hole22013Telenet Trophy Daniel GauntLost to birdie on first extra hole
EPD Tour wins (1) No. DateTournamentWinning ccoreMargin ofvictoryRunners-up123 Feb 2007Real de Faula Classic−7 (70-67-72=209)Playoff Iñaki Alustiza-Martinez, Nicolas Meitinger
Hi5 Pro Tour wins (1) 2008 Hi5 Pro Tour Al Torreal
Other wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up119 Mar 2017KCB Karen Masters−12 (66-66=132)2 strokes Reinier Saxton
Results in major championships Tournament2022Masters TournamentPGA ChampionshipU.S. OpenT56The Open Championship
"T" = tied
Team appearances Amateur European Boys' Team Championship (representing the Netherlands): 2002, 2003 European Amateur Team Championship (representing the Netherlands): 2003, 2005 European Youths' Team Championship (representing the Netherlands): 2004, 2006 Eisenhower Trophy (representing the Netherlands): 2004, 2006 (team winners and individual leader) St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 2006
See also 2008 Challenge Tour graduates 2011 European Tour Qualifying School graduates 2024 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
References
External links
Wil Besseling – profile on the Golfteam Holland site (in Dutch)