Sami Välimäki and Kalle Samooja compete in “The Open”, whose traditions can be found over 150 years ago. The Finnish players got a feel for the British conditions last week on the golf European tour in Scotland.
In the British Open golf tournament, which starts on Thursday, a kind of golf history will be made in a Finnish way. The oldest and most prestigious golf major tournament features two Finnish players for the first time, when Sami Välimäki and Kalle Samoa start their careers on the Liverpool golf green.
– It’s definitely a great thing that two Finns have entered a major tournament, because that’s not the case in every tournament. It tells about the level of our players that more Finnish color has been obtained, Välimäki is happy.
Before the tournament, Välimäki is ranked 220th in the world and Samoa 256th. The number one in the world ranking, the American Scottie Scheffler and Northern Ireland, which is second on the list Rory Mcllroy.
The greatness of the British Open is indicated by the fact that the tournament is held 151 times and an estimated 280,000 spectators are expected for the event.
Both Finns have the Scottish Open tournament from last week below. There, Välimäki and Samooja were able to practice the opening strokes of the open links course, which is also played in the British Open.
In Scotland, the players also got used to the British weather conditions, which are traditionally windy and rainy during “The Open”.
– The dimensions of the shots were quite well under control and the ball stayed low. It was a good warm-up competition, says Samooja.
As a field type, the links course differs from traditional park courses in that the links course is almost treeless. The field of the tournament played in Liverpool is also very old and the ground is packed hard, which makes controlling the ball challenging and, for example, evaluating bounces more difficult.
– In addition, the fairway bunkers are hole-shaped, so the balls are usually just lifted out of there, which increases the number of shots. You should stay away from bunkers. When Tiger Woods won the British Open in 2006, he never bunkered down. That’s a pretty clear recipe for success, Samooja clarifies.
The Links course is golf’s fastest playing surface. This can be compared to grass and clay courts and clay-based courts in tennis.
Samooja believes that the game platform affects North American players in particular, because they hardly ever play on the links courts.
The British audience also brings its own spice to the competition, where, according to Samooja, there are usually good fans.
Välimäki has accumulated ranking points
From the beginning of the season Välimäki played well and the 25-year-old from Nokia got a lot of points in the rankings. Despite the fluctuating game in the summer, Välimäki has not made any major changes to his playing. Only the player’s hitting technique and opening play have been slightly improved in the hope of better results.
After the British Open, there is a four-week summer break ahead.
– The first couple of weeks are full vacation and after that we will return to training.
The games continue in mid-August in the Czech Republic. During the rest of the year, Välimäki’s goal is to take a few victories and secure a place on the PGA tour.
The links course is suitable for Samoa
Samoa claimed his place in “The Open” two weeks ago in the competition of the Danish European tour.
– After all, there were great feelings that came from securing this ticket, when it was one of the goals of the season. When I got to play the first major tournament a couple of years ago, I thought that we should be able to play a lot more of these, since they are such great events.
Based on the exercises, Liverpool’s links court suits Samoa’s game well. The strategic decisions of the tournament are ultimately made based on how offensive the game will be in the end. Mistakes are a risk in an attacking game.
During the season, the basic playing of the 35-year-old Samooja has been good, but his putting has produced challenges.
– Let’s try to turn these things around, and there will be a little better success.
After Liverpool, Samoa also retires for a short summer vacation. After the holidays, there are 10 races ahead at a tight pace from mid-August to the end of November.