David Lingmerth Bio
David Thomas Lingmerth (born 22 July 1987) is a Swedish professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour. He first picked up the game at Tranås Golf Club in his hometown of Tranås, in the province of Småland, Sweden, and has continued to represent that club throughout his career. Lingmerth has built his reputation through steady play, an accomplished amateur résumé, and one signature victory at the 2015 Memorial Tournament. He has also represented Sweden on the international stage, including at the Summer Olympics.
Early Life and Background
David Thomas Lingmerth was born on 22 July 1987 in Tranås, a small city in the Småland region of southern Sweden. He is the son of Thomas and Birgitta Lingmerth, and he grew up in a community where golf was part of the local sporting fabric. He began playing the game at Tranås Golf Club, the same club he has continued to represent as his professional career has developed.
As a teenager, Lingmerth showed early promise by winning the age 15 category of the unofficial Swedish Youth Championship, the Bankboken Cup, at Falun-Borlänge Golf Club. He finished one stroke ahead of Henrik Norlander, a fellow Swede who would also go on to play on the PGA Tour. That victory offered a first indication that Lingmerth had the temperament and skill to compete at a high level.
Path to Golf
Lingmerth moved to the United States to pursue his education and competitive golf. He played one year of college golf at the University of West Florida, where he won one tournament, and then transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he spent three seasons and captured another individual title. At Arkansas he was named a two-time All-American, one of the highest honors in college golf.
During his amateur career, Lingmerth also represented Sweden twice at the European Amateur Team Championship. In 2010, on home soil at Österåker Golf Club in Stockholm and playing alongside Henrik Norlander, the Swedish team earned a silver medal. Earlier, in January 2008, he had won the Dixie Amateur Championship at Palm Aire Country Club in Sarasota, Florida, finishing well clear of a field that included a young Brooks Koepka. By June 2010, after reaching a career-best seventh on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Lingmerth completed his college career and turned professional.
David Lingmerth Career
Early Career (2010–2012)
In the fall of 2010, Lingmerth went through every stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School and finished tied for 59th, which was enough to earn a place on what was then the Nationwide Tour. During the 2011 Nationwide Tour season he recorded two third-place finishes and five top-10 results, but he ended the year 27th on the money list, just two spots outside the number needed to graduate to the PGA Tour. A return trip to Qualifying School did not produce the breakthrough he wanted.
He continued on the Web.com Tour in 2012, and after losing an earlier playoff, he won his first professional title at the Neediest Kids Championship in October, edging Casey Wittenberg by a stroke. That victory helped him finish 10th on the season-long money list, which secured his PGA Tour card for 2013.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (2013–2015)
Lingmerth wasted little time making an impact on the PGA Tour. In only his second career start, he reached a three-man playoff at the Humana Challenge, highlighted by a closing 62, before being eliminated on the first extra hole at the par-5 18th. Later in his rookie season he led the 2013 Players Championship after the third round and finished tied for second, two strokes behind Tiger Woods. He retained his playing privileges for 2014 by ending the year 75th on the money list.
A dip to 134th in 2014 sent him to the Web.com Tour Finals, where an eighth-place finish returned him to the PGA Tour. The highlight of his career followed at the 2015 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, where he beat Justin Rose on the third extra hole of a sudden-death playoff to claim his first PGA Tour title. He added a solo third at the 2015 Quicken Loans National later that summer, finishing four shots behind winner Troy Merritt.
Global Stage (2016)
In January 2016, Lingmerth lost a sudden-death playoff to Jason Dufner at the CareerBuilder Challenge, his second playoff defeat at that event, but the result pushed him into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. In August 2016, alongside Henrik Stenson, he represented Sweden in the men’s individual golf competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the first Olympic golf tournament since 1904. Lingmerth finished tied for 11th at six under par, while Stenson took the silver medal. Later that November, he and Alex Norén represented Sweden at the World Cup of Golf at Kingston Heath in Melbourne, where the Swedish pair finished fifth, one shot from second place.
Driving Style and Strengths
Lingmerth has long been recognized as a steady ball striker with a calm temperament, qualities that have served him well in the pressure of sudden-death playoffs and on demanding championship setups such as Muirfield Village. His comfort on classical, tree-lined courses, combined with a willingness to work his way around the golf course rather than overpower it, has been a defining feature of his play.
Notable Events and Milestones
The defining moment of his career remains the 2015 Memorial Tournament victory, his first PGA Tour win, sealed on the third extra hole against Justin Rose. Other milestones include his tied-second finish at the 2013 Players Championship behind Tiger Woods, his representation of Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and his appearance in the 2016 World Cup of Golf alongside Alex Norén.
His uncle, Göran Lingmerth, played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, a unique sporting link in the family.
David Lingmerth Career Wins
David Lingmerth has collected wins across the amateur, Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour levels. His amateur victories include the Dixie Amateur Championship and the Swedish age-group Bankboken Cup, while his professional breakthrough came on the Korn Ferry Tour, formerly the Nationwide and Web.com Tours. On the PGA Tour, his lone victory to date is the 2015 Memorial Tournament, one of the most respected invitational events on the schedule.
PGA Tour Highlights
Lingmerth’s PGA Tour win came at the 2015 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, where he defeated Justin Rose on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. He has also recorded a runner-up finish at the 2013 Humana Challenge and a tied-second at the 2013 Players Championship, in addition to a solo third at the 2015 Quicken Loans National.
Other Wins and Performances
On the Korn Ferry Tour, Lingmerth captured the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship, finishing a stroke ahead of Casey Wittenberg to lock up his PGA Tour card. He has also represented Sweden at the 2010 European Amateur Team Championship, where the team earned a silver medal, and in the 2016 World Cup of Golf, where Sweden placed fifth.
| Tour | Wins | Notable Results |
|---|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 1 | 2015 Memorial Tournament |
| Korn Ferry Tour (Nationwide/Web.com) | 1 | 2012 Neediest Kids Championship |
David Lingmerth Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Lingmerth is the son of Thomas and Birgitta Lingmerth, and he grew up in Tranås in the Småland region of Sweden, where his family supported his early development in golf at Tranås Golf Club. His uncle, Göran Lingmerth, played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, giving the family a rare link to American professional sports.
Personal Life
Lingmerth is married to Megan Lingmerth. The couple has made their home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the longtime base of the PGA Tour. He stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and has carried a playing weight of about 79 kilograms during his professional career.
2025 Season Performance
David Lingmerth continued his work on the PGA Tour in 2025, drawing on the experience of more than a decade on the circuit. As a former Memorial Tournament champion, he remained eligible for several invitational events on the schedule, where he looked to draw on his strengths on classical, tree-lined parkland courses similar to Muirfield Village.
He approached the season with the same steady, positional style that defined his career, relying on accurate ball striking and a calm temperament rather than raw distance. With status secured through past results, he focused on producing consistent finishes and positioning himself for spots in the invitational portion of the schedule.
Looking ahead, Lingmerth’s 2025 goals include contending in invitational events, returning to the weekend in majors, and building momentum toward a return to the form that delivered his 2015 breakthrough. His track record of playoff appearances, including wins and losses at the Humana Challenge, CareerBuilder Challenge, and Memorial Tournament, suggests he remains comfortable in the kind of pressure moments that often decide titles late in the year.