Who is Matthieu Pavon? Wife, parents, professional golf record, nationality, residence...

His first name is definitely French, but that last name? Pavon is a Spanish surname that comes from his grandfather, who exiled to France from Spain because of the Spanish Civil War. Ignacio “Pepito” Pavon played professional soccer in Spain and later in France, where Matthieu’s father was born. Michel Pavon played professional soccer in Ligue 1 for Toulouse for eight seasons, Montpellier, Girondis de Bordeaux and his last season in Spain for Real Betis in Seville.

In 2023 Pavon won the Acciona Open de España, which he dedicated to his paternal grandfather: “Now I can cry. I dedicate this win to my grandfather, who I think would be proud of me.”

Nevertheless, the golf tradition in the family comes from his mother, Beatrice, who is a golf pro at Argileyres golf course in Southern France. She has stated that she doesn’t like to watch Matthieu play: “I usually don’t watch Matthieu on TV because I get stomach pains…I’m so proud of him… He is achieving his childhood dream, which is magical.”

Professional career

Pavon turned professional in 2014 and played the Alps Tour his first two years as a pro. He won the Open International de Rebetz in 2014 and the Servizitalia Open in 2015. He managed to get his card for the Challenge Tour in 2016 where he played very well without getting any victories. The following year he progressed to the European Tour where he finished 49th on the Order of Merit. The highlight that year was his third place finish at the 2017 Scottish Open.

That same year he qualified for the 2017 British Open, but missed the cut. The following year he qualified for the US Open, where he finished T25 at Shinnecock Hills. He missed the cut at the 2019 US Open and then in 2022 he finished T36 at the Genesis Scottish Open and T31 at the Barracuda Championship. He struggled on the PGA Tour in 2023 and missed cuts at the US Open, Genesis Scottish Open and Barracuda Championship.

Although he didn’t enjoy success at those three events, he did win the 2023 Acciona Open de España as mentioned above. That win in October was a confidence booster and in January 2024, he won the Farmers Insurance Open. That victory made him the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour since 1907. In February, he finished in 3rd place at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he pocketed $1.3 million in earnings. He finished T12 at the 2024 Masters, but missed the cut at the PGA Championship and at the Memorial Tournament, which makes his performance at the US Open even more of a surprise. He’s earned almost $4 million so far this year on the PGA Tour and that amount will increase after Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2.

Personal life: wife and family

The Frenchman resides in Andorra, a small country nestled between France and Spain in the Pyrenees Mountains. He can be seen training in golf courses in Cerdanya and Lerida, not far from where he now calls home.

Matthieu is very discreet about his personal life, but we know he’s married to Melissa Tarris and they have a son named Aaron. The whole family was together at the 2024 Masters Par 3 Contest.