USF Athletics

Bergstrom Builds on Record-Breaking First Season With Bulls

August 06, 2019

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
 
TAMPA, AUG. 6, 2019 – Swedish standout Albin Bergstrom rewrote the record books during his fantastic freshman season at USF and added another incredible feat to his golf resume this summer.
 
Back on the course in his hometown at Ljunghusen Golf Club, Bergstrom played a pivotal role in Sweden's 2019 European Amateur Team Championship victory over England on July 13.
 
"It was absolutely an amazing feeling to win the European Team Championship, especially doing it on my home course in front of family and friends," he said. "Overall, I ranked this title really high just because it was 58 years ago the last time Sweden won this tournament and of course because it was back home in Sweden."
 
Bergstrom brought home Sweden's first title in the event since 1961 by defeating England's Ben Jones in the final match, much to the enjoyment of his large cheering section.
 
"The match between Ben Jones and I was incredible. I think when I two-putted on 16 to secure the victory, both players had made six or seven birdies on the last 12 holes," Bergstrom said. "I'm really happy that people took time to go out and support me the last day. It was around 300 people that followed me the last round, which helped a lot."
 
Success in Sweden followed Bergstrom's impressive first collegiate season with the Bulls that was capped off with Division I PING All-America honorable mention and Golfweek All-America Third Team accolades. Bergstrom also was unanimously selected as American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and to the all-conference team on the way to reaching numerous new program milestones.
 
The member of Sweden's junior national team set new USF records for season scoring average (70.0) and rounds of par or better (24). Bergstrom also broke the program's 54-hole scoring record for a par-72 tournament with a 15-under 201 in his nine-shot individual victory at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate in March.
 
Bergstrom's solid play continued in the postseason when he registered his team-leading seventh top-10 finish in 11 events at the Stanford Regional. The Division I PING All-Southeast Region Team member carded scores below 70 twice on the NCAA Regional stage, increasing his eye-catching total to 16 rounds in the 60s during the season.
 
By season's end, Bergstrom was as the third-highest ranked freshman in the nation, moving up to No. 37 on the Golfstat chart. He also made a monumental climb in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), skyrocketing from No. 755 last summer all the way up to No. 36 by the end of this June.
 
"It was amazing and I couldn't imagine that (success) when school started one year ago," he said. "It really helped me through the season and gave me confidence."
 
Even with a European Amateur Team Championship title victory to his credit, Bergstrom isn't resting on his laurels this summer before heading back to campus. He's set to compete in the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship that begins Monday, Aug. 12 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina. After that, Bergstrom will travel back to Sweden to take part in the PGA European Tour's Scandinavian Invitation Aug. 22-25 in Gothenburg.
 
"It's very important to me (to stay busy) just because it helps me to prepare and get better, so when the tournaments start in September, I'm 100 percent ready to play good golf," Bergstrom said.
 
Bergstrom's sophomore season will begin with USF teeing off Sept. 6-8 at the Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm in Dalton, Ga. The Bulls' rising star has high expectations for himself and the team after the program made its seventh straight NCAA Regional appearance this past spring with no seniors in the lineup.
 
"My goals for the upcoming season are to be able to start in every tournament and play good golf both for myself and the team," Bergstrom said. "Also, to be able to reach the NCAA Championship, which we unfortunately missed by seven shots last year."
 
Bergstrom helped USF's freshman class rank second nationally on Golfstat's Top Frosh list last season and he thinks the future is very bright for the Bulls.
 
"We have a young team, but I think last year helped us a lot," he said. "I feel that we're ready to have a good year and improve on our spring season."
 
About USF Men's Golf
USF men's golf captured four consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship titles in wire-to-wire fashion prior to 2019 and has earned seven straight trips to NCAA Regionals. The program is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year four times. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.