Get to know more about the Finnish professional golfer Kalle Samooja here.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kalle Samooja
Kalle Samooja is a professional golfer from Finland who has been on the European Tour since 2019.
Get to know more about one of Finland’s best golfers here.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kalle Samooja
NAIROBI, KENYA – MARCH 20: Kalle Samooja of Finland plays his bunker shot on the second hole during Day Three of the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club on March 20, 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
1. He was born in Turku, Finland in 1988.
2. He started playing golf aged 8 when his father introduced him to the sport.
3. He competed in the European Tour Qualifying School in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014 – not making it to the European Tour in any of these events.
4. He played on the Asian Tour during this period in his career, registering top 10 finishes at the 2012 Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic and the 2015 Philippine Open.
5. He joined the Challenge Tour in 2016 where he finished 69th and 71st in the Order Of Merit in his first two seasons.
6. He won his first and only Challenge Tour event – the 2018 Hainan Open – and finished 4th in the Order Of Merit to earn his European Tour Card.
“I’m not a young boy anymore, so when I finally got that Tour card, I wanted to get the best out of myself and put everything I could into my game. That’s what I try to do week in and week out. I want to get the most out of my game for the rest of my time on Tour.”
7. He lost in a 5-way playoff at the 2019 Omega European Masters to Sebastian Söderberg – his best finish in his rookie season.
8. The playoff featured Rory McIlroy, Samooja, Söderberg, Lorenzo Gagli and Andrés Romero. Samooja missed a 5ft putt to extend the playoff on the first hole.
9. His idol growing up was fellow Finnish player Mikko Ilonen.
10. He has played in one Major Championship – the 2021 PGA Championship – where he missed the cut.
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