Finnish golfer Sami Välimäki will be playing on the European tour in South Africa during the rest of the week. Välimäki said on Monday on social media that he will not be allowed into the country.
Finnish golfer Sami Välimäki gets to play on the European tour to South Africa. The competition starts on November 9. Välimäki will fly to the country’s capital, Johannesburg, on Monday evening.
– It was a typing error by the border officer, which caused Sam’s visa-free 90 days to be mistakenly full, which has now been corrected, Välimäki manager Miro Rousku tells Urheilu by text message.
The situation was clarified by the ambassador of the Finnish Embassy in South Africa Anne Lammila and his staff. Rosku thanks the embassy for the help.
– Finding out the reason for denying Sam entry seemed hopeless, because apparently state authorities do not have to share such information with the person concerned or even with the ministry or the embassy, writes Rousku.
Välimäki said on his Instagram account on Monday that he will not be allowed to travel to South Africa.
Välimäki won the second European tour race of his career in Qatar at the end of October. With the win, he is close to securing a spot for next year’s PGA Tour, which is played mainly in the United States. No Finn has previously received a card to the PGA tour.
With his victory in Qatar, Välimäki rose to seventh place on the European tour. The top ten on the list get playing rights to the PGA tour.