Mikko Ilonen
Mikko Ilonen (born 18 December 1979) is a retired Finnish professional golfer who played on the European Tour, winning five times. He is considered to be the greatest golfer from Finland.[2]
| Mikko Ilonen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Mikko Ilonen |
| Born | 18 December 1979 Lahti, Finland |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb; 13.1 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  Finland |
| Residence | Lahti, Finland |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2001 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour |
| Professional wins | 5 |
| Highest ranking | 37 (19 October 2014)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 5 |
| Asian Tour | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 2001, 2015 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 2014 |
| U.S. Open | CUT: 2010, 2012 |
| The Open Championship | T9: 2001 |
Career
Ilonen was born in Lahti, Finland. He won the 2000 Amateur Championship, and turned pro in 2001. He played mainly on the European Tour, where he won five events.
He won his first professional tournament at the 2007 Indonesia Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour. He was the first Finn to win a European Tour event[3] and to feature in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2007 he finished the season in a career best 34th on the European Tour Order of Merit.
In June 2013, Ilonen won the Nordea Masters event in Sweden for the second time in his career and third tour level victory overall.[4]
In June 2014, Ilonen won the Irish Open at Fota Island in Cork. Ilonen led the tournament from start to finish and ended up one shot clear of Italian Edoardo Molinari.[5]
Ilonen's best major championship finish was tied 7th at the 2014 PGA Championship.
In March 2019, Ilonen announced his retirement from tour golf.[6]
Amateur wins
- 1999 West of Ireland Amateur
- 2000 The Amateur Championship
Professional wins (5)
European Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 Feb 2007 | Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open1 | −9 (66-68-71-70=275) | 1 stroke |  Shiv Kapur,  Frankie Miñoza,.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Andrew Tampion |
| 2 | 19 Aug 2007 | Scandinavian Masters | −6 (67-72-67-68=274) | 2 strokes |  Christian Cévaër,  Nick Dougherty, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet,  Peter Hedblom, Martin Kaymer |
| 3 | 2 Jun 2013 | Nordea Masters (2) | −21 (70-63-65-69=267) | 3 strokes | Jonas Blixt |
| 4 | 22 Jun 2014 | Irish Open | −13 (64-68-69-70=271) | 1 stroke |  Edoardo Molinari |
| 5 | 19 Oct 2014 | Volvo World Match Play Championship | 3 and 1 | Henrik Stenson | |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014 | Commercial Bank Qatar Masters |  Sergio García |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T9 | T50 | T16 | ||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||
| The Open Championship | T79 | CUT | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T7 | T54 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Results in World Golf Championships
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T23 | ||
| Match Play | R64 | T34 | |
| Invitational | T65 | T66 | T45 |
| Champions | T21 | T46 |
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Finland): 1996, 1997[7]
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1997 (winners)
- European Youths' Team Championship (representing Finland): 1998, 2000[8]
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Finland): 1998, 2000
- Bonallack Trophy (representing Europe): 2000 (winners)
- St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 2000
Professional
References
- "Week 42 2014 Ending 19 Oct 2014" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "How many golfers from Finland have won on the European Tour?". European Tour. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- "Mikko makes history with victory in Jakarta". PGA European Tour. 18 February 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- "Mikko Ilonen ends six-year wait by winning Nordea Masters in Stockholm". The Guardian. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- "Irish Open: Mikko Ilonen earns fourth European Tour success". BBC Sport. 22 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- McEwan, Michael (21 March 2019). "Multiple tour winner announces shock retirement". bunkered. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- "European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association". Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- "EGA Events, Results, European Team Championships, European Youths' Team Championship". European Golf Association. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Client page at his management, Sportyard
- Mikko Ilonen at the European Tour official site
- Mikko Ilonen at the Official World Golf Ranking official site