David Lingmerth Bio
David Thomas Lingmerth (born 22 July 1987) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. A native of Tranås in the province of Småland, he turned professional in 2010 after a distinguished amateur career that included collegiate success in the United States. Lingmerth is best known for winning the 2015 Memorial Tournament, his lone PGA Tour title, and for representing Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds, Lingmerth has spent much of his professional life in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the longtime home base of the PGA Tour. Over the course of his career he has compiled three professional victories and reached a career-high Official World Golf Ranking of 35th in January 2016.
Early Life and Background
David Thomas Lingmerth was born on 22 July 1987 in Tranås, Sweden, to Thomas and Birgitta Lingmerth. He grew up in the small Småland community and took up golf at Tranås Golf Club, the club he has continued to represent throughout his career. The local course served as the foundation for his development as a young player and exposed him to competitive match play at an early age.
As a teenager, Lingmerth won his age category (15) at the unofficial Swedish Youth Championship, the Bankboken Cup, held at Falun-Borlänge Golf Club. He edged out future PGA Tour player Henrik Norlander by a single stroke, an early indication of the competitive level he would reach. His uncle, Göran Lingmerth, played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, giving the family a notable sporting pedigree beyond golf.
Path to Professional Golf
Lingmerth moved to the United States to play college golf, spending one year at the University of West Florida before transferring to the University of Arkansas, where he completed three seasons. At Arkansas he was named a two-time All-American, won one tournament for the school, and reached a career-best 7th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. His amateur résumé also included a victory at the 2007 Dixie Amateur Championship in Sarasota, Florida, where he finished 11 strokes clear of a young Brooks Koepka.
On the international amateur stage, Lingmerth represented Sweden at the European Amateur Team Championship on two occasions. In 2010, on home soil at Österåker Golf Club in Stockholm, the Swedish team earned a silver medal with Henrik Norlander among his teammates. Lingmerth wrapped up his amateur career in June 2010 and turned professional later that year.
David Lingmerth Career
Early Career (2010–2012)
In the fall of 2010, Lingmerth advanced through every stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School and finished T59th, earning a place on what was then the Nationwide Tour. He played the 2011 Nationwide Tour season, posting two third-place finishes and five top-10 results, but ended the year 27th on the money list, two spots shy of a PGA Tour card.
Lingmerth stayed on the developmental circuit in 2012, a year in which the Nationwide Tour was rebranded as the Web.com Tour. After losing an earlier playoff, he broke through with his first professional victory at the Neediest Kids Championship in October, edging Casey Wittenberg by a single stroke. A 10th-place finish on the season-ending money list secured his PGA Tour card for 2013.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (2013–2015)
Lingmerth opened his PGA Tour career with a runner-up finish at the 2013 Humana Challenge, where he shot a 10-under-par 62 in the final round before losing a three-man playoff to Brian Gay. Later that season he shared the 54-hole lead at The Players Championship and finished T2, two strokes behind Tiger Woods, ending his rookie year 75th on the money list to retain his card.
After slipping to 134th in 2014 and reclaiming his Tour card through the Web.com Tour Finals, Lingmerth captured his first PGA Tour title at the 2015 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. He defeated Justin Rose on the third extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. A few weeks later he added a solo third at the Quicken Loans National, finishing four shots behind winner Troy Merritt.
European and Olympic Stage (2016)
In January 2016, Lingmerth reached the playoff at the CareerBuilder Challenge for the second time in three years, this time losing to Jason Dufner on the second extra hole. The performance pushed him inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, where he peaked at 35th later that month. He also played all four major championships, with his best result a T12 at the 2015 PGA Championship and a 12th-place finish at the 2016 U.S. Open.
Lingmerth represented Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the first Olympic golf competition since 1904. Partnered with Henrik Stenson as Sweden’s two-man contingent, he finished tied 11th at 6 under par while Stenson earned the silver medal. Later that November, he teamed with Alex Norén at the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, where Sweden placed fifth.
Driving Style and Strengths
Lingmerth is regarded as a steady ball-striker whose strengths lie in approach play and composure under pressure. His breakthrough playoff win at Muirfield Village and a final-round 62 at the Humana Challenge reflect a comfort in scoring conditions and a willingness to attack par-5 closing holes, even when those swings occasionally lead to trouble.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his Memorial Tournament victory, Lingmerth’s most memorable moments include the 2016 Olympic appearance, his T2 at the 2013 Players Championship behind Tiger Woods, and his 11-stroke Dixie Amateur win over Brooks Koepka as an amateur. He reached a career-high world ranking of 35th in January 2016.
David Lingmerth Career Wins
David Lingmerth has recorded three recognized professional victories across the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour. His breakthrough came at the developmental level, and he has since added a signature win at one of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious invitationals.
PGA Tour Highlights
Lingmerth’s lone PGA Tour win came at the 2015 Memorial Tournament, where he outlasted Justin Rose in a three-hole sudden-death playoff at Muirfield Village. He has also finished runner-up at the Humana Challenge in 2013 and at the CareerBuilder Challenge in 2016, giving him a PGA Tour playoff record of 1–2.
Korn Ferry Tour and Other Performances
On the Korn Ferry Tour, formerly the Nationwide and Web.com circuits, Lingmerth won the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship by a stroke over Casey Wittenberg. He has posted multiple top-10 finishes on the developmental tour and competed on the European Tour during his professional career.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 1 | Multiple | 0 |
| Korn Ferry Tour | 2 | Multiple | 0 |
David Lingmerth Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Lingmerth is the son of Thomas and Birgitta Lingmerth of Tranås, Sweden. He comes from a sporting family: his uncle, Göran Lingmerth, played in the National Football League as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The Tranås Golf Club has remained a constant in his life, representing both his hometown and the place where his game took shape.
Personal Life
David Lingmerth is married to Megan Lingmerth. He has been based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for much of his PGA Tour career, allowing him to be close to many of the Tour’s most frequent stops. The couple has kept their personal life largely private.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into 2025, David Lingmerth continues his career on the PGA Tour, with three professional wins and more than a decade of Tour experience to his credit. The 38-year-old Swede is using his fully exempt status to focus on consistency, particularly on approach shots and scoring on par-5 holes, areas that have defined his career since the 2015 Memorial Tournament.
Early-season form has been steady, with Lingmerth leaning on the ball-striking that took him to a career-high 35th in the world in 2016. While younger contemporaries have emerged on the Swedish circuit, his experience in major championships and invitationals such as the Memorial, the Players Championship, and the Summer Olympics provides a reliable framework for the season.
With the FedExCup playoffs and a potential Presidents Cup cycle on the horizon, Lingmerth’s 2025 outlook is built around steady play, smart course management, and a return to contention in the kind of invitational fields where he has historically excelled.