Caroline Hedwall

Hedwall started to play golf at age eight, living in Täby outside Stockholm, Sweden, and moved with her family to Löddeköpinge at 15 years of age, coming to represent Barsebäck Golf & Country Club. She is the daughter of Yvonne and Claes Hedwall and has a twin sister, Jacqueline, who, just as Caroline, also played collegiate golf in the United States, at Louisiana State University, represented Sweden as an amateur and turned professional.^[1]

Hedwall's amateur career was very successful. In 2006, 17 years old, she became the second girl to win the Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship as well as the Swedish Junior Match-play Championship, both championships for players up to 21, during the same season.

As an 18-year-old, she finished lone 7th at her Ladies European Tour debut, the 2007 Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika, at her home course Barsebäck, two strokes better than tournament host Annika Sörenstam.^[1] In 2006–2008, Hedwall won six times on the professional Swedish Golf Tour, being an amateur without the possibility to receive any prize money. At the 2008 Telenor Masters at Barsebäck, the two amateur Hedwall twins finished first and second and the SEK 60,000 first prize check went to third placed Sarah Heath, England.

At the 2007 Junior Solheim Cup, the two Hedwall sisters both played on the winning European team. The Hedwall twins were also part of the winning Swedish teams at the European Ladies' Team Championship in 2008 and 2010.^[2]

Hedwall won the individual European Ladies Amateur Championship in 2007 and 2009, and both the team and individual title at the amateur worlds, the Espirito Santo Trophy in 2008.^[3]

She accepted a golf scholarship to Oklahoma State University in 2008. While at Oklahoma State she was the 2010 NCAA Individual Champion, 2010 NGCA Player of the Year, 2010 Golfstat Cup Winner, 2009 and 2010 First-Team All-American, and Big 12 Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010.^[4] In 2010, she also won the Honda Sports Award as the best female collegiate golfer in the nation.^[5][6]

She was tied 27th, best Swedish player and low amateur at the 2010 Women's British Open. Before turning professional, Hedwall represented Sweden a last time at the Espirito Santo Trophy at the end of 2010, earning a bronze medal with her team.

Hedwall was the medalist at the final stage of LET Qualifying School, a nine-stroke victory on 19 December 2010 to earn her LET card for 2011. In her first tournament as a professional, she won the 2011 New South Wales Open in Australia on the ALPG Tour in January. On the LET, she won the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open in May, Finnair Masters in July, UNIQA Ladies Golf Open in September, and the Hero Women's Indian Open in December.^[7] She was a captain's selection to the European team for the 2011 Solheim Cup in Ireland. She ended the year by winning the LET Player of the Year and LET Rookie of the Year awards.

Hedwall was again a captain's pick for Team Europe at the 2013 Solheim Cup at the Colorado Golf Club in the Denver area. In that event, she became the first player in Solheim Cup history to win five matches in a single competition, helping lead Team Europe to a surprising 18–10 win. It was the Europeans' first successful defense of the Cup, and also the first win for Team Europe on American soil.^[8]

In September 2018, Hedwall won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, with a score of 12-under-par over 72 holes, recording her first professional victory in three years. The following year, she qualified for her fourth Solheim Cup appearance for the European team.

From 2021, Hedwall focused on the Ladies European Tour instead of the LPGA. In November 2022, she won the tour final Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open De España, moving her to eighth on the 2022 final Order of Merit and advancing 82 positions to 137th on the world rankings. Despite being ranked 121st, she was picked for the 2023 Solheim Cup by captain Suzann Pettersen. In the Sunday singles, Hedwall delivered one of the best stretches of golf in Solheim Cup history, going from 3 down after 12 holes to flip her match to a 2 up victory over Ally Ewing after birdieing five of the last six holes, preventing the United States from winning.^[9]

In 2011, Hedwall received Elit Sign number 137 by the Swedish Golf Federation based on world ranking achievements.^[10]

For the 2011 season, she was elected Swedish Golfer of the Year, male or female, amateur or professional.

In 2012, she was awarded honorary member of the PGA of Sweden.^[11]

As receipant number 47, Hedwall was in 2015 awarded the Golden Club by the Swedish Golf Federation for outstanding contributions to Swedish golf.^[12]

• 2006 Swedish Junior Match-play Championship, Swedish Junior Stroke-play Championship
• 2007 European Ladies Amateur Championship
• 2008 World Amateur Championship (individual title at Espirito Santo Trophy)
• 2009 European Ladies Amateur Championship
• 2010 NCAA Division I Individual Championship

Results not in chronological order.

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the halfway cut
NT = no tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place

• Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (four times)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1

Source:^[13]

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.