Danish golfer returns to the game to lead WC

Friends don't let friends walk away from their talents. 

So, at the urging of his friend, TCU golfer Gustav Frimodt, Emil Lovstrup made his way to the United States to play golf for Weatherford College. 

"When I got out of high school, I was reluctant to come over here because of some personal stuff back home. I originally didn't plan on coming, but when I visited my friend Gustav in 2022, I unexpectedly met coach [Jesse] Speirs," Lovstrup said. "It didn't take long for us to establish a relationship, and I found a spot I couldn't say no to here at Weatherford." 

So Lovstrup made the trek from Denmark and is now a freshman on the Coyote golf squad. He was WC's best golfer in the first two spring tournaments, finishing fifth overall at the Blinn Invitational and sixth at the Oakwood Intercollegiate. It has been an impressive start to college-level play, especially considering he took a year off from competitive golf. 

"I want to say a big thank you to Coach Speirs. I didn't play tournament golf for a year because I was done with golf," Lovstrup said. "This took me off the [World Amateur Golf Rankings], and coach Speirs had no reason to believe in me. But he took a chance on me, and I will be forever grateful for that."  

Lovstrup began playing golf at age 2, playing with his father, who was a manager at a golf club. 

"I would say I really excelled at playing golf from a young age, but as I got older and started to overthink things on the golf course, I got into a little bit of trouble," Lovstrup said. 

Apparently, he figured things out. 

Lovstrup previously visited America with his family on vacations to Florida and again to Texas to visit Frimodt. It was enough to experience the golf culture in the United States, and he took a liking to it. 

Ironically, golf is not the first sport loved by the Lovstrup family. While his father is a good golfer, he is a former elite soccer player. Also, Lovstrup played soccer for his club, Alleso GF, before coming to the States. 

"I'm a bigger soccer guy. In general, I love all kinds of sports, but especially soccer and paddle tennis, two sports I am competitive in and love more than anything," he said. 

As for hobbies, he loves Harry Potter movies and is a former musician. 

"I used to play the drums, and my teammates would say that my favorite song is 'Here Without You' by 3 Doors Down,'" he said. 

Following this season, Lovstrup plans to return to WC unless he receives an NCAA Division I offer he can't refuse. Now that he's playing competitively again, he wants to play professionally, either in the U.S. or Europe. 

And he plans to keep in contact with his best friend. 

"Gustav is my best friend, and we are very close," he said. "I often go to his house to hang out, play golf with him and play poker."