Oliver Wilson

Oliver Wilson

Oliver John Wilson (born 14 September 1980) is an English professional golfer.

Wilson was born in Mansfield, England, where his golfing career began at Coxmoor Golf Club, having been a junior at Oakmere Park Golf Club.

After playing collegiately at Augusta State University, Wilson turned professional in 2003 and played on the Challenge Tour in 2004. He finished 15th on the Order of Merit list and moved up to the European Tour. He improved year-on-year, finishing 97th on the Order of Merit in 2005, 71st in 2006, 30th in 2007, 11th in 2008 and 7th in 2009.

In his rookie season on the European Tour in 2005, Wilson had three top ten finishes. In 2006 he lost in a play-off to Paul Casey at the Volvo China Open and in 2007 he had two second place finishes. Wilson finished second four times in 2008. The most notable of which came in the BMW PGA Championship where he lost in a play-off to Miguel Ángel Jiménez. In April of that year Wilson reached the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time, the next month after his runner-up spot at the PGA Championship he reached a new high position of 45.

Also in 2008, Wilson qualified for that year's Ryder Cup matches.

In the opening tournament of the 2009 Race to Dubai, the HSBC Champions, Wilson recorded yet another runner-up finish. On March 15, 2009, he recorded a top-5 finish in the WGC-CA Championship. Wilson was also runner-up at the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

2010 was a less successful year for Wilson. He never finished higher than 5th, although he still finished in the top 50 of the Order of Merit. A poor 2011 saw Wilson lose his full European Tour playing rights at the end of the season. He alternated between the European Tour and the Challenge Tour in 2012, but failed to regain his full playing rights through his play during the year or at the 2012 qualifying school.