Matthew Southgate

He was first inspired to take up the game after watching videos of the late, great Spaniard Seve Ballesteros winning the Open Championship at St Andrews in 1984. The highlight of an impressive amateur career was a victory at the 2010 St Andrews Links Trophy. He turned professional shortly after an aborted attempt to study and further his golfing education at a college in Illinois. He suffered from homesickness and returned to Europe to try his luck on the Challenge Tour in 2011, and after making a good impression, he made it through the Qualifying School that year.
He provided one of the stories of the season in 2015, a year that culminated in his return to the European Tour through the Qualifying School four months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He returned home from a top-10 finish in Germany on the Challenge Tour in July only to be told the bad news of his test results and had surgery a week later. Returned to action in early September and subsequently came through all three stages of the Qualifying School, finishing 6th at the Final Stage. He admitted it had been a tough time for his family - his niece was also suffering from leukemia - but was delighted to have another chance on the top tier, having lost his card in his rookie season in 2012 and 2013. Regained his European Tour card from the Qualifying School at the end of 2015.
2016 Notes: Played in 30 events on the European Tour, making the cut in 17 of them. Had two top-10 finishes, 4th at the Irish Open and T-7th at the Porsche European Open. Finished 56th in the Race to Dubai with euro681,378 in earnings. When he putted out on the 18th green at the Irish Open, he walked off the green in tears.
2017 Notes: Played in 25 European events making 13 cuts. Had his career-best finish, T-2nd at the Irish Open. He shot a final-round 66 and was six shots back of winner Jon Rahm. Finished 38th in the Race to Dubai.
2018 Notes: Played in 26 European Tour events making 19 cuts with three top-ten finishes. It was 57th in the Race to Dubai with earnings of euro679,397. He was T-5th at the French Open, he was 2 shots back of winner Alex Noren. Also, T-9th at the NBO Oman Open.
2019 Notes: Played in 27 European Tour events making 17 cuts with five top-ten finishes. He was 47th in the Race to Dubai, earning euro876,284. His best finish was 2nd at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a shot back of winner Victor Perez.
2020 Notes: Played in 19 European Tour events making 12 cuts with one top-ten finish. He was 103rd in the Race to Dubai, earning euro217,868.
2021 Notes: Played in 26 European Tour events making 14 cuts with one top-ten finish. Was 96th in the Race to Dubai. Had a share of the lead going into the final round of the Porsche European Open but shot a final-round 71 and finished T-2nd, two shots back of winner Marcus Armitage.
2022 Notes: Played in 28 DP World Tour events making 18 cuts with one top-ten finish was 68th in the Race to Dubai, earning euro579,651. Finished T-4th at the Made in Himmerland, four shots back of winner Oliver Wilson. Ended the season with a T-58th finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
2023 Notes: Was T-4th at the Soudal Open, four shots back of winner Simon Forsstrom. He was T-10th at The Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed and the Made in Himmerland.