Sami Välimäki, who is playing his first season on the US PGA Tour, is going to the Paris Olympics as the only Finnish male golfer.
Finland’s number one golfer Sami Välimäki stopped by during Midsummer in Hämeenlinna on the Tawast Golf course, playing – and winning – a hole-in-one game in the Championship.
In the final, Välimäki beat the former skier Jari Isometsän of a boy Eetu Isometsän. The championship was decided on the hilly 16th green. After that, Välimäki was in the lead by three holes, when two holes would have been left.
– Really good playing, especially on the first day. Today maybe a little tired, there were six laps in three days, Välimäki commented on his racing contract.
Välimäki is playing his first season on the world’s toughest tour, the US PGA Tour, as the first Finn ever to play a full season.
The 25-year-old Välimäki received a card to the PGA Tour thanks to the success of last season’s European tour. On the European tour last year, a card for the PGA Tour was distributed to the ten best players who did not already have a card. Välimäki was sixth on the list.
– That’s amazing. It’s really a big deal. Compared to other sports, you could say that it is a world cup that is still limited to a certain number of players. Now Sami is among the best every week, Välimäki’s former coach and since 1994 has worked as a golf teaching professional Timo Karvinen described entering the PGA Tour at the end of last year.
Second place, the highlight of the early season
The season on the PGA Tour started right in January. The highlight of Välimäki’s opening season has been second place in the tournament played in Mexico in February. He paid about 750,000 euros for that.
Otherwise, the tour has shown its toughness. There have been no other rankings in the top 30 since the beginning of the season. Välimäki has played 14 competitions on the PGA Tour and made the cut, i.e. reached the final rounds, six times.
– I have absolutely loved being there. Of course, there have been challenging times and the game has not always gone smoothly. The positive thing is that you get to play with the best and on top courts, Välimäki said.
– The level has been harder than I expected. I thought that it wouldn’t be a terribly big step compared to Europe, but yes, it has been.
Välimäki’s caddy has changed several times during the beginning of the year.
– A suitable caddy has been scouted, but it is not always so easy. We are still in the search phase.
In the previous games, the caddy has been British Dan Parrattwhich will also continue in the following games.
The Olympics ahead
Välimäki also plays in the Paris Olympics, as the only Finnish male player. There were two Finnish golfers in Tokyo and Rio. Välimäki was already in Tokyo, where he was 27th. For golfers, the Olympics may not be the same career highlight as for many other athletes
– It’s nice to be able to play there. There are no terrible expectations for the Olympics. In Tokyo, we only got to visit the competition village once. Now it would be nice if you could see other sports.
Välimäki does not consider it a worrying sign that he is the only Finnish male player in Paris.
– I think Finnish golf is doing quite well. There are players on all the main tours and there are new players coming up all the time.
Välimäki participated in the Championship of Reikäpeli in order to maintain the feeling of the game when there was a break in the PGA Tour games.
– Unfortunately, when I was on break for five weeks, the game kind of disappeared. I thought this was a good fit for the program.
After the visit to Finland, Välimäki headed back to the United States to join the ranks of the world’s top players.