Van Phillips (golfer)

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Van Phillips

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| fullname = Vanslow Luke Phillips

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|3|27|df=y}}

| birth_place = London, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}}

| weight = {{convert|167|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{ENG}}

| residence = Camberley, Surrey, England

| spouse =

| partner = Samantha Sharkey

| children =

| college =

| yearpro = 1993

| tour = European Senior Tour

| extour = European Tour
Challenge Tour

| prowins = 7

| pgawins =

| eurowins = 1

| japwins =

| asiawins =

| sunwins =

| auswins =

| nwidewins =

| chalwins = 1

| champwins =

| seneurowins = 1

| otherwins = 4

| majorwins =

| masters = DNP

| usopen = DNP

| open = CUT: 1997

| pga = DNP

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 =

| year1 =

| award2 =

| year2 =

| awardssection =

}}

Vanslow Luke Phillips (born 27 March 1972) is an English professional golfer.

Early life and career

Phillips was born in London. As an amateur, he won the Berkshire Trophy twice before turning professional after playing in the Walker Cup at the end of 1993. In 1995, he won twice on the Hippo Tour and led the Order of Merit.{{cite book |editor1-last=Williams |editor1-first=Michael |title=The Royal & Ancient Golfer's Handbook 1996 |date=1996 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9780333653319 |page=83 |url=https://archive.org/details/golfershandbook1996unse/page/82/mode/2up |access-date=12 November 2024}} In 1996 he won the Interlaken Open on the second-tier Challenge Tour and graduated to the European Tour for the following season by finishing in 6th place on the tour rankings at the end of the year.

Phillips made steady progress, finishing inside the top 100 on the Order of Merit in each of his first four seasons on the European Tour. He captured his maiden win in 1999, at the Algarve Portuguese Open, where he overcame John Bickerton in a playoff.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf-phillips-holds-nerve-to-win-first-tour-title-1079221.html |title=Phillips holds nerve to win first Tour title |newspaper=The Independent |date=8 March 1999 |access-date=2009-07-24}} In 2001, he struggled to hold on to his tour card, and has competed mostly on the Challenge Tour since then. He won the Mauritius Open, a non-tour event in 2006.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/tour-news/high-drama-in-mauritius-28505 |title=High drama in Mauritius |magazine=Golf Monthly |date=4 January 2007}}

Early in his professional career Phillips regularly played in a shirt and tie as part of a sponsorship deal.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/smart-start-for-phillips-golf-1272822.html |title=Smart start for Phillips |newspaper=The Independent |date=14 March 1997 |access-date=2009-07-24}}