Dale Whitnell Player Profile, Stats, Latest Results

IT HAS been a long haul for Dale Whitnell so it was no surprise when the Englishman struggled to hold back the tears after winning the Volvo Scandinavian Mixed in Sweden.

The 34-year-old finally won his first DP World Tour title 14 years after turning professional, holding off a charging Scott Crocker.

Whitnell began the day leading four and at one point stretched his lead to six. In the end, his 70 was good enough for a three-shot victory, which was set up thanks to a sensational second round of 61. He made 26 birdies and one eagle in his 72 holes.

"It tested me out there," Whitnell said after his victory. "It has been a long road for me, I've got so many people to thank. This means everything to me.

“It feels awesome. It’s what I get up every day for. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I’ve dreamt of this for a long time.”

• Player Profile
• Last 10 Events
• Key Stats
• World Ranking

The world No 308 mixed four birdies with two bogeys during a final-round 70 to end the week on 21 under, with Crocker his closest challenger after moving up the leaderboard with a seven-under 65.

Whitnell opened with three consecutive pars but found trees and then water on his way to a bogey at the par-five fourth, only to follow a birdie at the next by making another from 35 feet at the par-four sixth.

The Englishman was briefly six ahead until Crocker, who played his opening four holes in four under, rallied after a bogey at the eighth by making back-to-back birdies around the turn to reduce the advantage to four.

Whitnell responded to a missed birdie chance at the 10th by converting from further away at the next to get to 21 under, only to bogey the par-three 13th and squander birdie looks from inside five feet on both the next two holes.

Crocker drained a long-range eagle at the 15th on his way to setting the clubhouse target at 18 under, but Whitnell made a 15-foot birdie at the par-four 17th and two-putted for par at the last to close out an emotional victory.

Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul played alongside Whitnell in the final group but saw his challenge fade with a level-par 72, leaving him tied-third with Anne van Dam - the highest-ranked woman in the mixed event where men and women compete on the same venue for one prize fund and one trophy,

Player Profile

Dale Whitnell was born in Colchester on August 9, 1988. He had a decent amateur career, winning the Abu Dhabi Junior Championship in 2006 and the St Andrews Trophy in 2008. He won the silver medal at the European Amateur Team Championship in 2008 and 2009 and played for GB&I in the 2009 Walker Cup.

He turned professional in 2009 but it took him 11 years to gain full playing rights on the DP World Tour. However, he finished fourth at the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship, 2020 British Masters and 2021 Irish Open. In 2021 he led the Cazoo Classic after 36 holes but finished 13th.

In 2019 he won the KPMG Trophy on the European Challenge Tour.

He began the Scandinavian Mixed in 58th place in the Race to Dubai and 308th in the world rankings. His triumph in Sweden takes him to 17th place in the Race to Dubai.

This was his first DP World Tour victory and came in his 106th start. He has been enjoying a decent season - before teeing it up in Sweden he had enjoyed four top-12 finishes.

Last 10 Events

Volvo Scandinavian Mixed - 1st

Porsche European Open - CUT

KLM Open - 81st

Soudal Open - CUT

Italian Open - CUT

Jonsson Workwear Open - CUT

SDC Championship - T32nd

Thailand Classic - T9th

Singapore Classic - T12th

Ras Al Khaimah Championship - T28th

Key Stats (DP World Tour: 2022/23)

Driving Distance - 301.13 Yards

Driving Accuracy - 60.46%

Greens in Regulation - 66.22%

Sand Saves - 59.46%

Putts Per Round - 28.34

Scoring Average - 70.68

End of Year World Ranking Position

2020: 268

2021: 366

2022: 307