| Fullname | Laurence Richard Canter |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 3 November 1989 (age 37) |
| Birth place | Bath, Somerset, England |
| Yearpro | 2011 |
| Tour | European Tour Asian Tour LIV Golf |
| Extour | Challenge Tour PGA EuroPro Tour |
| Prowins | 3 |
| Eurowins | 2 |
| Otherwins | 1 |
| Masters | CUT: 2025 |
| Usopen | T55: 2025 |
| Open | T17: 2023 |
| Pga | T48: 2022 |
Laurence Richard Canter (born 3 November 1989) is an English professional golfer who has been ranked inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He has been a member of the European Tour, and also played on LIV Golf, the Asian Tour, and several lower level tours. He is a former amateur champion in both South Africa and Spain.
Amateur career
Canter had a successful year in 2010, winning the South African Amateur Championship and playing in the St Andrews Trophy and Eisenhower Trophy. He was also part of the England team that won the European Amateur Team Championship that year and he also qualified for the 2010 Open Championship. He won the 2011 Spanish Amateur Open Championship.[1]
Professional career
Canter turned professional in 2011, after winning the Spanish Amateur Open Championship.[1] He played on the Challenge Tour from 2011 to 2013 before dropping down to the Pro Golf Tour in 2014 and 2015.
Canter has an unusual records of qualifying for the European Tour through Q-school, four separate times. He qualified in 2015, 2016 and 2017 but failed to regain his place on the tour on each occasion. After a season returning to the Challenge Tour, he finished tied for 5th in the 2019 European Tour Qualifying School to gain a place on the European Tour for 2020.[1] 2020 proved to be more successful than his previous attempts on the tour. He had his first top-10 finish in the Hero Open and followed this with a tie for 5th place in the ISPS Handa Wales Open and runner-up finishes in the Portugal Masters and the Italian Open.[1][2]
He finished tied-second at the 2021 BMW PGA Championship; one shot behind Billy Horschel.[3]
In 2022, Canter joined LIV Golf. As a result he was suspended and fined by the DP World Tour, and ultimately did not retain his exemption status at the end of the season. In 2023, he was retained as a reserve by LIV Golf.[4] He substituted for Cleeks team captain Martin Kaymer in the first three events of the season,[5] and subsequently for Sam Horsfield, on the Majesticks team, for several events after he withdrew injured during the fourth event in Adelaide.[6] At the promotions event, he lost in a playoff for the final spot on a team roster for 2024. He played in the opening two events of the season as a wild card before being replaced by Anthony Kim.[7]
In June 2024, Canter won for the first time on the European Tour, at the European Open in Germany.[8] In February 2025, he claimed his second title, winning the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship in a playoff with Pablo Larrazábal and Dan Brown.[9]
In March 2025, Canter competed in The Players Championship, despite having been a LIV Golf member in the past, he became the first former LIV golfer to play in a strictly PGA Tour event.[10]
Canter earned a PGA Tour card for 2026 by finishing 7th in the 2025 European Tour rankings. He opted not to take up PGA Tour membership and instead signed a contract to join LIV Golf in December 2025.[11][12] He replaced Henrik Stenson, who had been relegated from LIV Golf.[13]
Amateur wins
- 2010 South African Amateur Championship, Hampshire Hog, West of England Amateur Stroke Play Championship
- 2011 Spanish International Amateur Championship
Professional wins (3)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Jun 2024 | European Open | −13 (68-66-73-72=279) | 2 strokes | Thriston Lawrence, Bernd Wiesberger |
| 2 | 2 Feb 2025 | Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship | −14 (68-69-68-69=274) | Playoff | Dan Brown, Pablo Larrazábal |
European Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship | Dan Brown, Pablo Larrazábal | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2025 | Investec South African Open Championship | Dylan Naidoo | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Jamega Pro Golf Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Sep 2015 | The Players Club | −12 (67-65=132) | Playoff | Jack Heasman, Bradley Moore (a) |
Playoff record
Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | KPMG Trophy | Dale Whitnell | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T37 | |||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | T48 | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | T55 | ||||||
| The Open Championship | NT | T79 | T17 | T25 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2025 |
|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Championship | T64 |
| Match Play | |
| Invitational | |
| Champions | NT1 |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Team appearances
Amateur
- St Andrews Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2010
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing England): 2010 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing England): 2010
Professional
See also
- 2015 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2016 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2017 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2019 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2025 Race to Dubai dual card winners
References
- ^ "Player Profile Laurie Canter". European Tour. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Italian Open: Englishman Ross McGowan wins first title for 11 years". BBC Sport. 25 October 2020.
- ^ Leighfield, Jonny (13 September 2021). "Laurie Canter finishes tied-second at 2021 BMW PGA Championship". Swindon Advertiser
- ^ Huggan, John (22 August 2023). "He's paid his fine and served his suspension. But this DP World Tour pro has found a way to keep playing LIV Golf". Golf Digest. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Smith, Ben (29 March 2023). "Martin Kaymer forced out of LIV Golf Orlando; Another Pro Withdraws". GolfMagic. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Roberts, Andy (11 May 2023). "LIV Golf Pro Forced Out For 'Few Months' As Replacement Comes In". GolfMagic. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Leighfield, Jonny (26 February 2024). "Anthony Kim Joins LIV Golf To End 12-Year Hiatus". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ "England's Laurie Canter claims first DP World Tour title with victory at European Open in Germany". Sky Sports. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ "Canter wins Bahrain title after three-way play-off". BBC Sport. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ Jourdan, Cameron (2 March 2025). "How this former LIV golfer qualified for the PGA Tour's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass". Golfweek. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ "Laurie Canter: Englishman turns down PGA Tour spot and rejoins LIV Golf for 2026 season". BBC Sport. 2025-12-01. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ Ferguson, Doug (2025-12-01). "Laurie Canter earned a PGA Tour card. He's giving it up to play LIV Golf". Associated Press News. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ Jourdan, Cameron (1 December 2025). "After earning PGA Tour card, this former LIV Golf player has re-signed". Golfweek. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ "Julien Guerrier replaces Nicolai Hojgaard in the Team Cup". Ten Golf. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Great Britain & Ireland win Team Cup 17-8". European Tour. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.