Moa Folke (born 25 March 1995) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour.[1] In 2023, she won the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am and was runner-up at the Joburg Ladies Open and the Open de France Dames.

Moa Folke
Personal information
Born (1995-03-25) 25 March 1995 (age 29)
Tranås, Sweden
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Sporting nationality Sweden
Career
CollegeMurray State University
Turned professional2018
Current tour(s)Ladies European Tour (joined 2022)
Former tour(s)Symetra Tour (joined 2019)
Professional wins2
Achievements and awards
Ohio Valley Conference Golfer of the Year2017

Early life and amateur career

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Folke was born in Tranås in 1995 and won several tournaments on the Skandia Tour junior circuit in Sweden.[2]

She attended Murray State University 2014–2018 and played golf with the Murray State Racers women's golf team in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). She was a four-time All-OVC First Team selection and five-time medalist including the 2016 and 2017 OVC Championship. She was named the Ohio Valley Conference Golfer of the Year as a junior in 2017 and guided the Racers to back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances in 2017 and 2018[3]

Professional career

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Folke turned professional after she graduated in 2018. Before entering qualification for the LPGA Tour, she played in a few tournaments on the Swedish Golf Tour. She lost a playoff to Isabella Ramsay in the Carpe Diem Beds Open at Flommen Golf Club.[4] In 2019, she won the Tegelberga Open, six strokes ahead of runner-up Linn Grant[5][6]

In 2019, Folke joined the Symetra Tour. In her rookie season, she made two cuts in seven starts, her best finish a tie for 13th at the PHC Classic. With 2020 lost to the pandemic, in 2021 she made six cuts in 19 starts.[1]

Playing in three Sunshine Ladies Tour events in early 2022, she held the lead after the first round of the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am, but eventually had to settle for a tie for 8th place.[7]

Folke earned conditional status for the 2022 Ladies European Tour at Q-School. In her rookie season, she finished tied 14th at the Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville in April, and tied for 5th at the Mithra Belgian Ladies Open in May.[8] In September, she led by two strokes at the halfway stage of the Women's Irish Open after firing a second round 62, ten under par. A final round 73 saw her finish tied 14th, five shots behind winner Klára Spilková.[9]

In 2023, Folke shot a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 final round to win the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am in South Africa three strokes ahead of Anne-Lise Caudal.[10] A few weeks later, she finished runner-up at the Joburg Ladies Open, after she held the lead by two strokes ahead of the final round.[11] Folke finished solo runner-up behind compatriot Johanna Gustavsson at the Open de France Dames. She was only a shot back until Gustavsson holed-out for an eagle at the par-4 13th from 112 meters, and finished three shots behind.[12]

Amateur wins

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  • 2012 Skandia Tour Riks #3 Örebro, McDonald's Junior Trophy
  • 2013 Skandia Tour Riks #3 Halland
  • 2016 Jan Weaver Invitational, Ohio Valley Conference Championship, Skandia Tour Riks #2 Stockholm, Chris Banister Classic
  • 2017 Jan Weaver Invitational, Ohio Valley Conference Championship

Sources:[2][4]

Professional wins (2)

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Sunshine Ladies Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning
score
To par Margin of
victory
Runner-up Ref
1 12 Feb 2023 Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am 71-73-64=208 −8 3 strokes   Anne-Lise Caudal [13]

Swedish Golf Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning
score
To par Margin of
victory
Runners-up Ref
1 26 May 2019 Tegelberga Open 67-72-70=209 –7 6 strokes   Linn Grant (a)
  Emma Svensson
[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Moa Folke Bio". Epson Tour. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Moa Folke". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Women's Golf Roster: Moa Folke". Kent State Sports. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Moa Folke Player Profile". Golfdata. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Folke överlägsen på Tegelberga". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Moa Folke vann Tegelberga Open – första segern som proffs" (in Swedish). Trelleborgs Allehanda. Retrieved 23 April 2022.}
  7. ^ "Folke forges to the front in George". SuperSport. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Folke näst bästa svensk på Europatourtävlingen" (in Swedish). Tranås Tidning. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Fantastic Folke Shoots 62 to Lead at Midway Mark of KPMG Women's Irish Open". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Folke flies to Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am success". SuperSport. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Folke Holds Two-Shot Lead With One Round Remaining At Joburg Ladies Open". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Gustavsson Secures First LET Title In France". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Final Results 2023 Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am". Sunshine Ladies Tour. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  14. ^ "2019 Tegelberga Open". Golfdata. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
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