Kalle Samooja (born 25 January 1988) is a Finnish professional golfer.[1]
| Kalle Samooja | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 25 January 1988 Turku, Finland | ||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  Finland | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 2010 | ||
| Current tour(s) | European Tour LIV Golf | ||
| Former tour(s) | Asian Tour Challenge Tour Nordic Golf League Finnish Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 12 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| European Tour | 1 | ||
| Challenge Tour | 1 | ||
| Other | 10 | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT: 2021 | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT: 2022 | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2023 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Early life
Samooja was born in Turku, Finland.[1] He started playing golf when he was eight years old after being introduced to the game by his father.[1]
Professional career
Samooja competed in the European Tour Qualifying School in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2014.[1] He did not make it onto the European Tour during any of these experiences. During this interim period he primarily played on the Asian Tour.[1] He did not have a ton of success but recorded top-10 finishes at the 2012 Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic[2] and 2015 Philippine Open.[3]
In 2016, Samooja made it on to the European Tour's developmental tour, the Challenge Tour.[1] Samooja finished 69th and 71st on the Challenge Tour's Order of Merit in 2016 and 2017.[1] In 2018, he won the Hainan Open and finished 4th on the Order of Merit earning a promotion to the European Tour.[1]
In 2019, his rookie season on the European Tour, Samooja recorded four top-25 finishes through the first half of the year including a top-10 at the Kenya Open. Samooja would then play excellently at the Omega European Masters that summer. Samooja fired a third round 62 (−8) to get near the lead. During the final round he fired a 67 to tie several players at the end of regulation.[4] The five-way playoff included: Rory McIlroy, Sebastian Söderberg, Samooja, Lorenzo Gagli, and Andrés Romero.[5] Samooja had the closest approach to the hole, to five feet. Söderberg made an eight-foot birdie putt and the other competitors missed. Samooja, putting last, would "miss narrowly" assuring Söderberg's victory.[5]
Samooja would have one more top-10 during the season, a T-10 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.[6] These three top-10s helped him finish 62nd on the Order of Merit and thereby keep his card.[1]
In June 2022, Samooja won the Porsche European Open shooting a final-round 64 (−8) to claim his first European Tour victory.[7]
In December 2023, Samooja entered the LIV Golf Promotions event, vying for one of three places in the 2024 LIV Golf League. He recorded rounds of 65 and 71 on the final day to top the event, successfully earning status for the 2024 season.[8]
Amateur wins
Professional wins (12)
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Jun 2022 | Porsche European Open | −6 (72-72-74-64=282) | 2 strokes |  Wil Besseling |
European Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | Omega European Masters |  Lorenzo Gagli,  Rory McIlroy, Andrés Romero,  Sebastian Söderberg | Söderberg won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2020 | Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open |  Callum Shinkwin | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Oct 2018 | Hainan Open1 | −15 (65-66-71-71=273) | 2 strokes |  Grant Forrest |
1Co-sanctioned by the China Tour
Nordic Golf League wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Sep 2008 | FGT Final (as an amateur) | −3 (72-73-68=213) | 1 stroke | Pasi Purhonen |
| 2 | 23 Mar 2014 | La Manga Club Championship | −12 (69-66-68=203) | 2 strokes | Jacob Glennemo |
Finnish Tour wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 Aug 2006 | SM Reikäpeli (as an amateur) | 20 holes | Tommy Gulin | |
| 2 | 29 Jul 2007 | SM Reikäpeli (2) (as an amateur) | 2 and 1 | Pertti Palosuo | |
| 3 | 4 Jun 2011 | Finnish Tour Opening | E (69-76-71=216) | 1 stroke | Joonas Granberg |
| 4 | 11 Jun 2011 | Finnish Tour St. Laurence | −9 (70-66-71=207) | 1 stroke | Joonas Granberg |
| 5 | 9 Jun 2012 | Finnish Tour St. Laurence (2) | −15 (65-67-69=201) | 7 strokes | Teemu Bakker (a), Ossi Mikkola |
| 6 | 31 May 2013 | Finnish Tour St. Laurence (3) | −8 (72-67-69=208) | 1 stroke | Jaakko Mäkitalo, Lauri Ruuska (a) |
| 7 | 18 Jun 2016 | Audi Finnish Tour 4 | −6 (71-69-70=210) | 6 strokes | Otto Vanhatalo (a) |
| 8 | 15 Sep 2016 | Audi Finnish Tour Final | −14 (67-71-64=202) | 5 strokes | Matti Meriläinen |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Team appearances
Amateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Finland): 2005, 2006[10]
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Finland): 2008, 2009, 2010
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Finland): 2010
- St Andrews Trophy (representing Continent of Europe): 2010 (winners)
See also
References
External links
- Kalle Samooja at the European Tour official site
- Kalle Samooja at the Official World Golf Ranking official site