Q&A with European Ryder Cupper Oliver Wilson

Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

We’re keeping the professional golf theme going today with our third 2DP Q&A. We’ll be returning to regularly scheduled programming (course takes, local news/notes, and general Charlotte golf musings) next week, but not before welcoming our first Ryder Cupper to the program! Today’s conversation is with Oliver Wilson.

TWO DOWN PRESS Q&A

Meet 2-Time DP World Tour Winner and European Ryder Cup Player Oliver Wilson

Oliver Wilson is a veteran DP World Tour (aka European Tour) player set to begin his 21st season of professional golf. His career highlights include over 500 professional starts, 2 DP World Tour wins (most recently in 2022 at the Made in HimmerLand), a peak world ranking of 35th, and qualification for the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club.

Originally from Mansfield, England, he now resides in Charlotte with his wife and sons. I sat down with Oliver last month to chat about playing the DP World Tour from the U.S., balancing home life with travel, his motivation to keep going, and his memories from the Ryder Cup. This conversation has been edited for brevity and readability. 

2DP: Tell me about your connection to Charlotte and how you ended up living here.

OW: My wife is from Fort Mill. We met our second year in college when Augusta started a women’s team and she came down to play. She was good - she was #2 on the team and won once. She was homesick and the coach asked us to look after her on the weekends, so I extended an arm and, 24 years later, here we are.

After college we moved to Orlando, then moved back to England full-time in 2012. During COVID we moved back to Charlotte, which was always the plan.

2DP: How has the transition been living in Charlotte and playing a full schedule on the DP World Tour?

OW: It’s been tough. A good friend of mine, [fellow DP World Tour player] Scott Jamieson, lives in Jacksonville. He’s been travelling from there for a while and making it look pretty easy. So I thought - Jamo has been doing it, there’s a Charlotte to London direct flight, and I can fly to the west coast from Charlotte to get to Asia - it shouldn’t be too big a deal.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case. As anyone who travels knows, the cost of flights and lack of options is really tough. It’s been one of the biggest reasons for not playing the golf I want to play, which is annoying. The flip side is I get to prepare better and my home life is great. I love living in Charlotte, but it probably hasn’t been the best decision for my career. It’s something I need to weigh up - at my age there is more to life than travelling around the world playing golf. I want to keep [pursuing professional golf], so I need to play better and find a way to make the travel easier. I’ve been in a constant state of jet lag for a few years.

2DP: What is your typical routine when travelling to Europe for a stretch of tournaments?

OW: I still have family in the UK and am still a member of a golf club in London. I generally try to fly from Charlotte to London, then stay a couple days there to practice, see my coach, and recover before flying to where I’m going. In the summer we try to spend a decent chunk of time in Europe - I’ll go over for a 3-4 week trip, then my family will come for 5-6 weeks, then I’ll stay a few more weeks, which reduces the travel for me. It’s schedule dependent, but when it works out it gives me a 3-month window where I’m not travelling long haul and my body gets to recover. That’s typically when I’ve played better golf over the last few years.

Essentially, I just need to play better so I can play [in the U.S.]. I’ve made some good decisions in my career and some bad ones, but the worst was turning down my PGA TOUR card in 2010. I’d love to be able to play well enough in the next few years to get over here and experience living in Charlotte and playing in the U.S.

2DP: What keeps you motivated to overcome all these logistical challenges and keep pursuing professional golf?

OW: The end of last year was a low point, but 2 days after getting home from Q School I found myself hitting balls trying to figure my swing out. Normally when I come home I don’t even want to touch a club, so I think there is still a desire to, not conquer golf, but feel like you have your golf figured out. I’m closer than I’ve ever been and I know what I’m capable of - I know if I get into contention, I can win, but it’s always been technique that’s held me back.

The second driving force is the fact that I want to win tournaments in front of my boys. I have a 2 and a 6 year old, so they’re at an age where, if I win, it would leave a lasting memory.

I had a really nice moment at the British Masters a few years ago when I finished second. My wife and boys were there and I was a shot back after Saturday. We went and sat in the grandstand behind 18 the night before the final round, and my eldest asked me, “Are you going to win?” Looking down at the green, I told him, “That’s where I’m going to win tomorrow. You’re going to be out there with me, and it’s going to be fun.” I was so determined and played really nicely, but I didn’t putt great. Dan Hillier had an outrageous finish to beat me by a couple shots, but just having those moments is a big motivation.

2DP: I have to ask about the Ryder Cup. What memories stick out from that week?

OW: It was amazing. Obviously we lost, but it was one of the best weeks of my life and something I’ll never forget. I wasn’t playing great in practice, but I played great during the tournament.

Henrik Stenson said to [Captain Nick] Faldo that we were going to play together in the foursomes on Saturday. We played [Phil] Mickelson and [Anthony] Kim, which was fantastic. I hit the first tee shot and I’ve never felt anything like that before - the energy, the nervousness. I absolutely nutted it down the middle - I can still feel how solid it was.

We were 4 down through 6 and they had gotten off to a fast start. Walking down the 7th fairway we said, “Phil is going to hit some dodgy shots - let’s say he hits 2 and we win those holes. There are 2 par 5s left, so we’ll make birdie and win those holes. We need one more, so let’s be clinical.” We executed perfectly. Phil hit a bad tee shot on 15, then I holed a 25-footer on 17 to win the match 2&1. I went absolutely mental and gave it a fist pump, and when I looked up I was looking Phil right in the eyes. He couldn’t believe it.

2DP: What do you love about living in Charlotte?

OW: I like the lifestyle and the weather. This kind of weather [in January] where its cold and blue skies is fantastic, and it doesn’t rain as much as I’m used to back home. We live on the lake and we love being out on the water as much as we can during the summer.

I have so many things outside of golf that I like doing - being on the lake, mountain biking, wake surfing, and just being outdoors. We have some wooded area around us and it reminds me of home.

RAPID FIRE WITH OLIVER WILSON

Best Hole in Charlotte: Carolina Golf Club #3

Favorite Course in England: Hankley Common Golf Club

Favorite DP World Tour Stop: Crans-sur-Sierre

#1 International Travel Tip: Sauna immediately upon landing

TOURNAMENTS

Gasparilla Invitational Features Charlotte Notables

One of the country’s biggest Mid-Amateur tournaments begins today at Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Florida. The field is comprised of elite amateurs from across the country, including a couple with Charlotte ties.

Friend of the program John Eades is making his second appearance at the Gasparilla. Eades is a 3-time City Am champion, 2-time CGA champion, and 9-time USGA championship participant.

Hayes Brown, a multiple-time club champion at Carolina Golf Club, is competing in his third Gasparilla. Brown, who recently moved to Atlanta, made a deep run as a 64 seed at the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sankaty Head, ultimately falling to Mid-Am legend Stewart Hagestad in the semifinal match.

Live scoring: Follow all the action here

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