MINEA BLOMQVIST
Birthdate: March 12, 1985
Birth Place: Espoo, Finland
Age: 24 - Ht.: 5’4"
Home: Champions Gate, Fla.
Turned Professional: 2003
Joined LPGA Tour: 2006
LPGA Victories: 0
LET Tournament Victories: 2 - 2004 OTP Bank Central European Open, 2008 Finnair Masters
Other Victories: (5) Telia Tour - 2002 Sparbanken Open, 2003 CA Ladies Trophy. 2004 Nedbank Women’s Golf Tour, <N>Pam Golding Ladies International, Telcom Women’s Classic. 2004 Telia Tour Jijared Ladies Open
Player Notes:
Started playing golf at the age of nine. Credits her parents, family, Pia Nilsson, Lynn Marriott, Ville Kalliala and boyfriend Roope Kakko as the individuals most influencing her career. Hobbies include music, movies and spending time with friends and family. Qualified for the Tour on her second attempt.
Blomqvist was a two-time member of the European PING Junior Solheim Cup Team in 2002 and 2003. She was a member of the Finnish National Ladies Team from 2001-03. Blomqvist won two events as an amateur on the Telia Tour, including the 2002 Sparbanken Open and the 2003 CA Ladies Trophy. She was named the 2003 Telia Tour Player of the Year.
* In 2008 recorded three top-10 finishes including a career-best third place at the Safeway International presented by Coca-Cola, also tied for fifth at the Fields Open in Hawaii, and tied for eighth at the Ginn OPEN.
* Carded a season-low 65 in the second round of the Fields Open in Hawaii.
* In 2007, best finish was a tie for 13th at the CN Canadian Women’s Open.
* In 2008, Minea played in seven Ladies European Tour events in 2007 and began the year strongly finishing T3rd at the MFS Women’s Australian Open at Royal Sydney. She also recorded two top 20s: in Portugal and at the Scandinavian TPC in Sweden. In Europe she earned EUR35,491.69 and was 56th on the New Star Money List.
* In 2006 Minea played in three events on the LET: the ANZ Ladies Masters, the Weetabix Women’s British Open and the Finnair Masters, where she had her best finish - of T23. From three events she earned EUR4,178.80 and finished 139th on the New Star Money List but remained fully exempt as a tournament winner from 2004. She represented Finland with Riikka Hakkarainen in the Women’s World Cup of Golf at Sun City and the pair finished T8. Minea spent the majority of the year playing in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, where she had a mixed start to her US career. From 18 starts her best finish was T24 in the Franklin American Mortgage Championship. She finished 102nd on the Money List and returned to Tour School.
* In 2005, played on the Ladies European Tour (LET), where she posted 11 top-20 finishes, including back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Ladies English Open and the OTP Bank Ladies Central European Open; tied for 34th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn non-exempt status for the 2006 LPGA season.
* In 2004, won the Ladies Central European Open on the LET and recorded seven additional top-20 finishes to earn the LET Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year award; set an LPGA record for the lowest round in a major championship, carding a 62 during the third round of the Weetabix Women’s British Open, where she tied for eighth (was a non-member at the time, and the record was tied by Lorena Ochoa at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship); also competed on the Nedbank Women’s Golf Tour in South Africa, where she won the Pam Golding Ladies International and the Telcom Women’s Classic.
2006 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -18; Rounds Played - 52; In Money - 10; Top-10 Finishes - 0; Scoring Average - 73.04 Rank (95th); Money - $74,260.00 Rank (102nd); Best Finish - T-24th at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship
2007 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -16; Rounds Played - 45; In Money - 8; Top-10 Finishes - 0; Scoring Average - 73.96 Rank (113th); Money - $87,783.00 Rank (93rd); Best Finish - T-13th at the CN Canadian Women’s Open
2008 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -24; Rounds Played - 78; In Money - 19; Top-10 Finishes - 3; Scoring Average - 72.45 Rank (56th); Money - $417,011.00 Rank (44th); Best Finish - 3rd at the Safeway International
