Kalle Samooja

Kalle Samooja (born 25 January 1988) is a Finnish professional golfer.[1]

Kalle Samooja
Personal information
Born (1988-01-25) 25 January 1988
Turku, Finland
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Sporting nationality Finland
Career
Turned professional2010
Current tour(s)European Tour
Former tour(s)Asian Tour
Professional wins1
Number of wins by tour
Challenge Tour1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipCUT: 2021
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipDNP

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. Soderberg made an eight-foot birdie putt and the other competitors missed. Samooja, putting last, would "miss narrowly" assuring Soderberg'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]

Professional wins (1)

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

Playoff record

European Tour playoff record (0–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(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

Results in major championships
Tournament 2021
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

Amateur

See also

References
  1. "Kalle Samooja". European Tour. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. "Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic". Official World Golf Ranking. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Philippine Open presented by ICTSI". Official World Golf Ranking. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Leaderboard – Omega European Masters 2019". European Tour. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  5. Huggan, John. "Sebastian Soderberg beats Rory McIlroy as part of wild five-man playoff at the Omega European Masters". Golf Digest. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  6. "Results - Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player 2019". European Tour. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
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