‘I said I wasn’t going to cry:’ DP World Tour pro breaks down after first win in nearly 8 years
Oliver Wilson won the DP World Tour's Made In HimmerLand for his first tour title since 2014.
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Oliver Wilson has had to do a lot of waiting throughout his career.
The Englishman burst onto the scene between 2006 and 2009 on the then-European Tour, notching nine second-place finishes in those four seasons, a world ranking inside the top 40, and a spot on the European Ryder Cup Team. But a win remained elusive.
In 2014, after years of waiting, Wilson finally got the job done at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in his 10th season on the tour.
He waited nearly as long for his second win before capturing the DP World Tour‘s Made in HimmerLand Sunday in Denmark, his first in seven years and 334 days.
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“I feel like everything I’ve done, probably since [my last win], maybe the last ten years. To get back to—,” Wilson told SkySports before letting the emotions of the moment overtake him. “I said I wasn’t going cry.”
After winning the Dunhill, Wilson’s career reached an impasse. He lost his European Tour card after the 2016 season and didn’t make his way back to to full status until 2019. That season, he missed seven of 20 cuts and picked up five top-10s.
On Sunday, Wilson entered the round tied for the lead with three others, seeking not only his first win since the Dunhill, but also his first top-10 since that 2019 season.
He made enormous birdie putts of 66 feet and 64 feet to help fuel a final round 67 and secure a one-stroke win over Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson.
“I was so confident. I knew I could get the job done. Everything I’ve done to this point to rebuild my game. I knew I could do it. And I was so in control,” before fighting back tears again. “And I was so calm there. You know, I almost enjoyed the last hole.
“It’s pretty special. I’m so proud of myself. I’ve got a great team around me.
“And there’s other people who have helped me a ton. And the list goes on. Everybody who knows me, I’ve been pulling from everywhere I can to try and figure this game out and I don’t think I’m there yet, but I feel like, you know, there’s a lot ahead of me. I’m so pleased to get win number two.
“I love this place. I’ve done well here before. You know, my game’s been trending in the right direction. I mean, if you look at my stats and my results, you know, from the outside looking in, this is not lots to shout about, but there’s been a lot of good stuff this year. I just haven’t been able to put it all together.”
The win moves Wilson to 28th in the DP World Tour Race to Dubai standings. Remaining in the top 30 through the end of the season would get him into the field for the 2023 Open Championship, his first major since 2019.
“I guess 18 years experience kind of gets you to hang in there and to get over the line,” Wilson said. “That feels good.”
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