Claes Jöhncke

Claës Lennart Jöhncke (born 23 June 1941) is a Swedish professional golfer, who was one of the best amateur players in Sweden in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Claës Jöhncke
Personal information
Full nameClaës Lennart Jöhncke
Born (1941-06-23) 23 June 1941
Stockholm, Sweden
Sporting nationality Sweden
ResidenceWest Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
SpouseMadeleine Nessim (deceased 2003)
Children4
Career
Turned professional1992
Former tour(s)Senior PGA Tour
Achievements and awards
Swedish Golfer of the Year1967, 1969

Early life

Jöhncke was born in Stockholm, Sweden, as the oldest of two sons to Lennart Jöhncke (1916–1999) and Karin Stael von Holstein (1919–2010).

Jöhnckes father was Swedish champion in squash in 1939 and 1940. His uncle Torsten Jöhncke (1912–1984) won the Swedish squash championship the following two years, 1941 and 1942, as well as played in the Swedish national team in ice hockey in the 1930s and competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics.

At young age Jöhncke began as a caddie for his father at Lidingö Golf Club north of Stockholm. The family moved to Linköping in the Swedish province of Östergötland in 1953, were both Jöhncke and his brother Johan learned golf and both advanced to elite level in the country. Four years after coming to Linköping, Jönhcke reached handicap scratch and quit ice hockey and other sports he had practiced in his youth.[1]

Jöhncke's first important golf win came when he was 18 years old at the French International Junior Championship at Golf de Saint-Cloud, outside Paris, beating Malcolm Gregson, England, 4 and 2 in the final.

Jöhncke and his brother Johan came to represent Sweden together many times, first time at the 1962 European Youths' Team Championship in Germany, when they were part of the Swedish team finishing second.[2][3]

Amateur career

He was one of the dominating male amateur golfers in Sweden in the 1960s an early 1970s and won all three major Swedish amateur tournaments at the time, at least once.

In 1963, Jöhncke moved to Stockholm and represented Stockholm Golf Club 1963–1972.

He won the Swedish International Stroke Play Championship seven years in a row, but had to wait until 1972 before he won the Swedish Match-play Championship.

He also has six wins in the most important Swedish foursome tournament at the time, the Scandinavian Foursome over 72 holes stroke-play at Göteborg Golf Club.

He represented Sweden five times at the amateur worlds, the Eisenhower Trophy. At his first appearance, in 1962 in Itō, Shizuoka, Japan, at 21 years of age, he finished as best Swedish player. For the 1968 Eisenhower Trophy in Melbourne, Australia, during the peak in Jöhncke's amateur career, the Swedish Golf Federation decided to not send a team. However, Jöhncke in 1968 was appointed, for the third of six appearances, to the Continent of Europe team to meet Great Britain and Ireland for the St Andrews Trophy. The last time he was selected for the Continent of Europe team, 1974, it was against the nomination from the Swedish Golf Federation, but it ended in a victory for the Continent team for the first time in the history of the match.

In 1968, at the first visit in Sweden by Arnold Palmer, Jöhncke, recognized as the best amateur player in the country, was invited for an exhibition match over 18 holes at Falsterbo Golf Club with Palmer, Sven Tumba and the best Swedish club pro at the time, John Cockin, drawing approximately 5,000 spectators.[2][3][4]

After a long and successful amateur career in Europe, Jöhncke moved to the United States in 1973 and Winged Foot Golf Club, New York, became his home club. He played a few amateur tournaments in Europe the following summer, but was not selected for the Swedish 1974 Eisenhower Trophy team.

Professional career

He turned professional at age 50 in 1991, with the intention of playing on the Senior PGA Tour in the United States. He finished 77th in his debut in September at the 1991 Digital Seniors Classic, earning $500.[5] He only played a few senior tournaments, but entered the 1994 Senior British Open and missed the cut by a shot after scoring 74-81.[6]

Awards and honors

In 1961, at 20 years of age, Jöhncke earned Elite Sign No. 40 by the Swedish Golf Federation, on the basis of national team appearances and national championship performances. He still is the player with most appearances in the Swedish men's national amateur golf team, including discontinued events, like the yearly match between the national amateur team and a team representing the PGA of Sweden.[2][3]

As an amateur, Jöhncke was twice, 1967 and 1969, awarded Swedish Golfer of the Year, male and female, professional and amateur. At the time, there was a rule stating that a player not could be awarded more than two times.[2][3]

In June 1996, Jöhncke was ranked as 14th among the 50 best Swedish players ever, male or female, professional or amateur, by Svensk Golf, the official magazine of the Swedish Golf Federation, at the 50 years anniversary of the magazine.[7]

Private life

Jöhncke was married to Madeleine Nessim, deceased in 2003 at 58 years of age,[8] whose sister, Mona, was married to famous Swedish sports man, ice hockey player and golf entrepreneur, Sven Tumba, with whom Jöhncke was team mate, representing Sweden, at the 1970 Eisenhower Trophy in Madrid, Spain.[2][3]

Jöhncke moved to United States with his family in 1973, to work at the New York branch of the bank where he was employed in Sweden. Six years later he quit his bank job and started his own business, to later become a real estate developer and moved to North Palm Beach, Florida. He now resides in West Palm Beach.

Jöhncke and his wife had four children together, Anders, Christopher, Michelle and Peter. The youngest, Peter, became a professional golf trick artist, after first trying as a tournament professional on the European Challenge Tour.[9][10]

Amateur wins

Sources:[2][3]

Team appearances

Amateur

Sources:[2][3][11][12]

References
  1. Sellberg, Lena (March 1991). "På en sandstrand i Florida: Claes och Madeleine Jöhncke, På väg mot Senior Tour" [On a beach in Florida: Claes och Madeleine Jöhncke, On his way to the Senior Tour]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 3. pp. 34–39.
  2. Jansson, Anders (1979). Golf - Den gröna sporten [Golf - The green sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. pp. 19, 49, 53, 78–79, 93, 150–151, 155–157, 164–178, 203, 206, 212, 214, 222, 224, 228, 231. ISBN 9172603283.
  3. Jansson, Anders (2004). Golf - Den stora sporten [Golf - The great sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. pp. 39, 97, 101, 180, 182, 188, 196, 205, 209, 210, 214, 216–217, 224. ISBN 91-86818007.
  4. "Egentligen började allt när självaste Arnold Palmer kom till Sverige" [Really, everything began when Arnold Palmer came to Sweden]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 8. August 2019. pp. 72–73.
  5. "19:e hålet: Claes Jöhncke; Svenska PGA, Nya medlemmar, Tournament players" [19th hole: Claes Jöhncke; PGA of Sweden, New members, Tournament players]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 6. June 1992. pp. 158, 176.
  6. "The Senior Open Championship – Results". European Tour. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. Jansson, Anders (June 1996). "De femtio bästa" [The top fifty]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 6. pp. 70–85.
  8. "Madeleine Johncke". The Palm Beach Post. 27 May 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  9. "En svensk världsartist" [A Swedish World Star]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 7. July 2010. pp. 52–53.
  10. "Golftricket som blev en livsstilt" [The golf magic, that became a way of life]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 4. February 2002. p. 8.
  11. "European Team Championships". European Golf Association.
  12. "International matches". European Golf Association.
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