Sami Välimäki (born 16 July 1998) is a Finnish
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who plays on the
European Tour
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fif ...
. On his 6th European Tour start he won the 2020
Oman Open.
Amateur career
During 2018 Välimäki was selected for the Europe team in the
Bonallack Trophy
The Bonallack Trophy is an amateur golf competition on the model of the Ryder Cup which opposes every two years a European team and a team representing Asia/Pacific. The venue alternates between courses in Europe and Asia/Pacific.
The first comp ...
and for the Continent of Europe team in the
St Andrews Trophy
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland.
It was first played in 195 ...
. He played for the Finnish team that won the 2018
European Amateur Team Championship
The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959.
The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has bee ...
and represented Finland in the
2018 Eisenhower Trophy
The 2018 Eisenhower Trophy took place 5–8 September at the Carton House Golf Club in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It was the 31st World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy. The tournament was a 72-hole stroke play team ev ...
. He reached as high as 10th in the
World Amateur Golf Ranking The World Amateur Golf Ranking for men was introduced by The R&A, the governing body of the sport of golf outside the United States and Mexico, on 23 January 2007. It is based on the results of over 2,600 amateur tournaments per year (and amateurs p ...
during 2018. While still an amateur, Välimäki also played a number of
Nordic Golf League
The Nordic Golf League is one of the four PGA European Tour-recognised third-tier men's professional golf tours that are known as the Satellite Tours. The top five players on the rankings list at the end of each season earn a place on the second t ...
events in during 2017 and 2018.
Professional career
Välimäki turned professional in early 2019 after the completion of his military service in Finland. He played mostly on the
Pro Golf Tour
The Pro Golf Tour, formerly the EPD Tour (European Professional Development Tour), is a developmental professional golf tour based in Germany. It is a third-level tour, the highest level of men's golf in Europe being the European Tour, and the sec ...
during 2019. He won his first professional victory in February at the Open Casa Green Golf in Morocco. He won twice more on the tour in August and also won the end-of-season Castanea Resort Championship for his fourth win of the season. Despite his four wins he only finished second in the Order of Merit.
After his third win on the 2019 Pro Golf Tour, Välimäki earned a place on the
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe.
History ...
, but later he qualified for the main
European Tour
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fif ...
for 2020 by finishing 8th in qualifying school. In his fifth start of the 2020 season he won the
Oman Open, beating
Brandon Stone in a playoff.
Amateur wins
*2016 Ticino Championship, Finnish Junior Match Play Under-18
*2017 Portuguese International Amateur Championship, Ticino Championship
Source:
Professional wins (6)
European Tour wins (1)
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
Pro Golf Tour wins (4)
Finnish Tour wins (1)
Results in major championships
''Results not in chronological order in 2020.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = No tournament due to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
Results in World Golf Championships
1Cancelled due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
pandemic
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Team appearances
Amateur
*
Bonallack Trophy
The Bonallack Trophy is an amateur golf competition on the model of the Ryder Cup which opposes every two years a European team and a team representing Asia/Pacific. The venue alternates between courses in Europe and Asia/Pacific.
The first comp ...
(representing Europe): 2018
*
European Amateur Team Championship
The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959.
The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has bee ...
(representing Finland):
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
(winners)
*
St Andrews Trophy
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland.
It was first played in 195 ...
(representing the Continent of Europe): 2018 (winners)
*
Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958, it is named after Dwight D. Eise ...
(representing Finland):
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
See also
*
2019 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Välimäki, Sami
Finnish male golfers
European Tour golfers
Olympic golfers of Finland
Golfers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Pirkanmaa
People from Nokia, Finland
1998 births
Living people
21st-century Finnish people