Kalle Samooja is looking to follow up his season best-equalling finish in Sweden with another promising performance at this week’s Vierumäki Finnish Challenge in his homeland.
The Finn was vying for the lead all week at Katrineholms Golfklubb before going on to finish tied 13th, the position he reached in La Gomera, taking him into the top 80 of the Road to Oman Rankings.
The 28 year old, who has made the cut in his last six starts on the European Challenge Tour, is now hoping to turn his consistency into winning performances, starting at a course he knows well in Vierumäki Resort this week.
“I have been playing pretty solid and have just tried to be patient all year,” he said. “Last week was my best result of the season and was one I had been waiting for.
“I try to play tee to green all the time, and some weeks it just happens. I need some high finishes to improve my ranking and last week went some way into doing that. I want to make sure I am high enough so that I can play in the final events of the year.
“I really enjoyed Sweden – it was just like playing at home. But I am really excited to tee it up in Finland this week
“It will be a huge week for Finnish golf – a lot of our players will be competing – and I am sure that there will be some really good crowds.
“I really like the course, the layout is really good. I have already spent one week this year practising there. The course is looking in really good shape so it is going to be an interesting week for everyone.”
With golf also making its long-awaited return to the Olympic Games this week, Samooja is confident that the competition will prove popular in his home country, and he is looking forward to following the progress of his compatriots Mikko Ilonen and Roope Kakko in Rio de Janeiro.
“They are going to show a lot of the Olympics at Vierumäki,” he said. “Where we are playing this week is also a sports academy, so I know that most of the Olympic athletes have practised there, and it is a base for Finnish athletes.
“I will be cheering of Mikko and Roope this week. I don’t think Finland will get too many medals at the Olympics this year, so hopefully one of them will bring one home for us!”
