Professional Career
Alfredsson began her professional career on the Ladies European Tour where she was rookie of the year in 1989. The next year, in 1990, she claimed her maiden professional win at the Women's British Open. She won twice on the LET in 1991 and won once each on the ALPG and Japanese tours. She earned exempt status for the 1992 LPGA Tour season by tying for 17th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
She earned Rookie of the Year honors on the LPGA Tour in 1992 and has won seven LPGA Tour events, including one LPGA major: the 1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore. A little over three months after her Dinah Shore victory, Alfredsson nearly won the U.S. Women's Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Alfredsson finished tied for 2nd, one shot behind winner Lauri Merten.
Alfredsson has continued to play a limited number of events in Europe, where she has won eleven events. She finished at the top of the European money list in 1998. She has been a member of the European team in the Solheim Cup 8 times: in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2009. She was captain of the European Solheim Cup team in the 2007 Solheim Cup, in which Europe lost to the USA 12-16.
While playing golf, Alfredsson has been known to curse long and loud in Swedish. The Financial Times of London once editorialized, "They can be louder and more richly worded than many of Lenny Bruce's best performances." Alfredsson said about cursing "You have to stay so focused on the tour," she said. "You work so hard, you don't want anything to interfere. But then all of a sudden this little devil comes crawling out, saying, 'It's time to do something. You've been good too long.'"
Read more about this topic: Helen Alfredsson
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