Matilda Castren

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Matilda Castren

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| fullname = Matilda Maria Castren

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|1|18|df=y}}

| birth_place = New York, New York, U.S.

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| height = 5 ft 7 in

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| nationality = {{FIN}}

| residence = Austin, Texas

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| college = Florida State University

| yearpro = 2017

| tour = LPGA Tour (joined 2020)
LET (joined 2021)

| extour = Symetra Tour

| prowins = 3

| lpgawins = 1

| letwins = 1

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| futwins = 1

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| anainspiration = T25: 2022

| lpga = T23: 2020

| wusopen = T30: 2021

| wbritopen = T20: 2021

| evian = T19: 2021

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Matilda Maria Castren (born 18 January 1995) is a Finnish professional golfer playing on the LPGA Tour. In 2021 she won the LPGA Mediheal Championship to become the first player from Finland to win on the LPGA Tour.{{cite web |title=Matilda Castren becomes first player from Finland to win on LPGA, and does it in her 15th start |url=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/06/13/matilda-castren-first-player-finland-win-lpga/ |publisher=Golfweek |access-date=13 June 2021}}

Career

Castrén won the 2011 Doral Publix Junior Classic in the U.S. and the 2013 Skandia Junior Open in Sweden, and was runner-up at the 2013 Portuguese Ladies Amateur. She represented Finland at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 European Girls' Team Championship, the 2014, 2015 and 2016 European Ladies' Team Championship,{{cite web |url=https://www.wagr.com/playerprofile/matilda-castren-17072 |title=Matilda Castren |publisher=World Amateur Golf Ranking |access-date=9 October 2020}} and at the 2014{{cite web |title=2014 Espirito Santo Scoring |url=https://www.igfgolf.org/watc/watc2014/espirito-santo-trophy-scoring/ |publisher=International Golf Federation |access-date=10 October 2020}} and 2016{{cite web |title=2016 Espirito Santo Scoring |url=https://www.igfgolf.org/watc/watc2016/espirito-santo-trophy-scoring/ |publisher=International Golf Federation |access-date=10 October 2020}} Espirito Santo Trophy. She was also on the winning Vagliano Trophy team in 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.ega-golf.ch/sites/default/files/2017_vt_complete_results_0.pdf |publisher=European Golf Association |title=Vagliano Trophy 2017 |access-date=25 August 2020}}

Castrén played college golf at Florida State University beginning in 2014 and graduated in May 2017 with a degree in International Affairs, after winning seven individual titles in collegiate competition during her time with the Florida State Seminoles women's golf team, a school record. She was named second-Team All-American by the Women's Golf Coaches Association and Golfweek in 2014 and was a three-time All-ACC selection (2014, 2016 and 2017) as one of only three players in school history. She set school record for lowest career stroke average (72.52) over her four-year varsity career.{{cite web |title=Matilda Castren Player profile |url=https://seminoles.com/sports/w-golf/roster/matilda-castren/ |publisher=FSU Seminoles |access-date=9 October 2020}}

Castrén played two seasons on the Symetra Tour in 2018 and 2019, before she finished T26 at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn her card for the 2020 LPGA Tour.{{cite web |title=Matilda Castren Bio |url=https://www.lpga.com/players/matilda-castren/99270/bio |publisher=LPGA Tour |access-date=9 October 2020}} In only six starts she earned enough to qualify via the money list for her first major, the 2020 Women's PGA Championship, where she was T9 after a first round of 69 and finished the tournament T23.{{cite web |title=2020 KPMG Women's PGA Championship |url=https://www.lpga.com/tournaments/kpmgwomenspgachampionship/leaderboard |publisher=LPGA Tour |access-date=9 October 2020}}

In her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, she won the 2021 LPGA Mediheal Championship in just her 15th career LPGA Tour start.{{cite web |title=Matilda Castren first Finnish winner in LPGA Tour history |url=https://www.lpga.com/news/2021/matilda-castren-first-finnish-winner-in-lpga-tour-history |publisher=LPGA Tour |access-date=13 June 2021}}

In July, Castrén claimed her first Ladies European Tour (LET) title after she shot a final round of 68 to win the 2021 Gant Ladies Open in her native Finland. She needed to secure a victory on the LET to become a member of the tour and be eligible for the 2021 European Solheim Cup Team.{{cite web |title=Castren Captures Gant Ladies Open Title |url=https://ladieseuropeantour.com/blog/castren-captures-gant-ladies-open-title/ |publisher=Ladies European Tour |access-date=17 July 2021}}

Amateur wins

2011 (1) Doral Publix Junior Classic 16-18
2013 (1) Skandia Junior Open Girls
2014 (2) Florida State Match-Up, Web.com/Marsh Landing Intercollegiate
2015 (1) Jacksonville Classic
2016 (3) Florida Challenge, NCAA Shoal Creek Regional Championships, Jim West Challenge
2017 (1) Clemson Invitational

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