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STOCKHOLM- Kennesaw State Owls golf star Jeff Karlsson will take his game to the big stage this week, as he tees it up in the European Tour’s Scandinavian Masters in his home country of Sweden, beginning on Thursday.
Karlsson will participate as of one of just six amateurs in the 156-player professional tournament, which includes the likes of last week’s British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, Swedish golf legend Jesper Parnevik and American stars Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.
While, as an amateur, Karlsson won’t be able to compete for any of 1,600,000 Euro purse awarded to the professionals, he sees this as a great opportunity to play against some of the stiffest competition in the world, as the event features 13 of the globe’s top 100-ranked players.
“I don't feel like there's too much pressure on me this week since I'm an amateur in the field, so most of the pressure will come from within,” said Karlsson, who made the field as a “wildcard” qualifier. “However, the most important thing about this week is the experience, so I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself, but more focusing on taking advantage of this opportunity and taking as much with me as I can from this week. If I just focus on having fun and I'm feeling good, then my score should take care of itself.”
Karlsson has been getting a lot of experience playing against top competition this summer. Earlier this month, he competed in a European Challenge Tour event, The Princess, finishing in a tie for sixth.
The Gothenburg, Sweden native’s solid play during the summer months is a continuation of what was an excellent sophomore campaign with the Owls. Karlsson played in 11 events, earning a victory and a total of six top-10 finishes. His play earned him All A-Sun Second Team honors, and a spot in the NCAA Southeast Regional, where he finished tied for eighth.
“Obviously it is very exciting for Jeff to have an opportunity to compete at this week’s European Tour Event, the Nordea Scandinavian Masters. For him to have a chance to compete against many of the best professionals in the world in his home country will be a great experience for him,” said Owls head coach Jay Moseley said Wednesday. “When I spoke to him this morning, he was very excited and said the course was the nicest he has ever played. I am very pleased that Jeff's hard work is paying off, as he has been playing excellent for the past two months. We are all proud of him and I would not be a bit surprised if he makes the cut and gets into contention over the weekend."
Karlsson will begin play at 12:40 p.m. local time, 6:40 a.m. Eastern, off of the 10th tee on Thursday. Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament, with the event being televised on The Golf Channel, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.