Mikko Ilonen

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Mikko Ilonen

| image = Mikko Ilonen.jpg

| imagesize = 170px

| caption =

| fullname = Mikko Ilonen

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|12|18|df=y}}

| birth_place = Lahti, Finland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.87|precision=0}}

| weight = {{convert|83|kg|lb st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{FIN}}

| residence = Lahti, Finland

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| yearpro = 2001

| tour =

| extour = European Tour

| prowins = 5

| pgawins =

| eurowins = 5

| japwins =

| asiawins = 1

| sunwins =

| auswins =

| nwidewins =

| chalwins =

| champwins =

| seneurowins =

| otherwins =

| majorwins =

| masters = CUT: 2001, 2015

| usopen = CUT: 2010, 2012

| open = T9: 2001

| pga = T7: 2014

| wghofid =

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}}

Mikko Ilonen (born 18 December 1979) is a retired Finnish professional golfer who played on the European Tour, winning five times. He is considered to be the most successful golfer from Finland.{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/news/articles/detail/how-many-golfers-from-finland-have-won-on-the-european-tour/#:~:text=Mikko%20Ilonen%20The%20most%20successful%20Finnish%20golfer%20in,five%20European%20Tour%20titles%20between%202007%20and%202014. |title=How many golfers from Finland have won on the European Tour? |publisher=European Tour |date=2 March 2020 |accessdate=25 August 2021}}

Career

Ilonen was born in Lahti, Finland. He won the 2000 Amateur Championship, and turned pro in 2001. He played mainly on the European Tour, where he won five events.

He won his first professional tournament at the 2007 Indonesia Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour. He was the first Finn to win a European Tour event{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2007/tournamentid=2007012/news/newsid=112349.html |title=Mikko makes history with victory in Jakarta |publisher=PGA European Tour |date=18 February 2007 |accessdate=6 June 2013}} and to feature in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

In June 2013, Ilonen won the Nordea Masters event in Sweden for the second time in his career and third tour level victory overall.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/jun/02/mikko-ilonen-nordea-masters |title=Mikko Ilonen ends six-year wait by winning Nordea Masters in Stockholm |date=2 June 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |accessdate=5 June 2013}}

In June 2014, Ilonen won the Irish Open at Fota Island in Cork. Ilonen led the tournament from start to finish and ended up one shot clear of Italian Edoardo Molinari.{{cite web |title=Irish Open: Mikko Ilonen earns fourth European Tour success |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/27964639 |work=BBC Sport |date=22 June 2014 |accessdate=23 June 2014}}

Ilonen's best major championship finish was tied 7th at the 2014 PGA Championship. In 2014 he finished the season in a career best 18th on the European Tour Order of Merit.

In March 2019, Ilonen announced his retirement from tour golf.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/multiple-tour-winner-announces-shock-retirement |title=Multiple tour winner announces shock retirement |first=Michael |last=McEwan |magazine=bunkered |date=21 March 2019 |accessdate=21 March 2019}}

Amateur wins

1999 West of Ireland Amateur
2000 The Amateur Championship

Professional wins (5)

=European Tour wins (5)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of
victory!!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|18 Feb 2007

|Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open¹

|−9 (66-68-71-70=275)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|IND}} Shiv Kapur, {{flagicon|PHI}} Frankie Miñoza,
{{flagicon|AUS}} Andrew Tampion

align=center|2

|align=right|19 Aug 2007

|Scandinavian Masters

|−6 (67-72-67-68=274)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Christian Cévaër, {{flagicon|ENG}} Nick Dougherty,
{{flagicon|FRA}} Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, {{flagicon|SWE}} Peter Hedblom,
{{flagicon|GER}} Martin Kaymer

align=center|3

|align=right|2 Jun 2013

|Nordea Masters (2)

|−21 (70-63-65-69=267)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|SWE}} Jonas Blixt

align=center|4

|align=right|22 Jun 2014

|Irish Open

|−13 (64-68-69-70=271)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|ITA}} Edoardo Molinari

align=center|5

|align=right|19 Oct 2014

|Volvo World Match Play Championship

|colspan=2 align=center|3 and 1

|{{flagicon|SWE}} Henrik Stenson

¹Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Year!!Tournament!!Opponent!!Result

style="background:#F2C1D1;"

|align=center|1

|2014

|Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

|{{flagicon|ESP}} Sergio García

|Lost to birdie on third extra hole

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2000

!2001

!2002

!2003

!2004

!2005

!2006

!2007

!2008

!2009

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T9

|T50

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T16

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2010

!2011

!2012

!2013

!2014

!2015

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

align=left|U.S. Open

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T79

|CUT

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T7

|T54

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" = tied

Results in World Golf Championships

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

!Tournament!!2013!!2014!!2015

align="left"|Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T23

align="left"|Match Play

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|R64

|T34

align="left"|Invitational

|T65

|T66

|T45

align="left"|Champions

|T21

|T46

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" = Tied

Team appearances

Amateur

European Boys' Team Championship (representing Finland): 1996, 1997{{cite web |title=European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association |url=http://www.ega-golf.ch/page/european-boys-team-championship |access-date=22 January 2023}}
Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1997 (winners)
European Youths' Team Championship (representing Finland): 1998, 2000{{cite web |title=EGA Events, Results, European Team Championships, European Youths' Team Championship |url=https://www.ega-golf.ch/page/european-youths-team-championship |accessdate=10 January 2023 |publisher=European Golf Association}}
Eisenhower Trophy (representing Finland): 1998, 2000
Bonallack Trophy (representing Europe): 2000 (winners)
St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 2000

Professional

Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2007, 2013 (winners)
World Cup (representing Finland): 2007, 2018

References

External links

[http://mikkoilonen.fi Official website]
[http://www.sportyard.com/mikko-ilonen Client page at his management, Sportyard]
{{EuroTour player|30376}}
{{OWGR|6929}}

Category:Finnish male golfers

Category:European Tour golfers

Category:Olympic golfers for Finland

Category:Golfers at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Sportspeople from Lahti

Category:1979 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Finnish sportsmen