7 things to know about Finnish golf prodigy Sami Valimaki

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters - Day Four
Sami Valimaki at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters - Day Four

Sami Valimaki, the winner of the Qatar Masters 2023, was on cloud nine as he defeated Jorge Campillo in a playoff round on Sunday, October 29th, to notch his second European Tour victory. Born on July 16, 1998, Valimaki currently only plays on the European Tour.

He made his professional debut in early 2019 and has played on a few tours, including the Pro Golf Tour and the Finnish Tour. He even has a handful of honors and awards to his name. In total, he has seven professional wins so far.


Seven things to comprehend about Sami Valimaki

Sami Valimaki has spent years achieving where he is on his golfing journey. The following facts will tell more about the player's life:

#1 Becoming a professional golfer was the biggest goal for Sami Valimaki

The 25-year-old golfer was always focused on becoming a golfer. He even stated to the European Tour in 2020 that being a professional golfer was always his top priority.

He then further mentioned that his parents introduced him to the game of golf. Not only that, Valimaki grew up playing golf with his friends at his home club.


#2 Sami Valimaki has reached great heights throughout his amateur career

As an amateur, Valimaki has participated in several tournaments. In 2018, he was selected for the Europe team in the Bonallack Trophy and the St Andrews Trophy squad for the Continent of Europe.

He later played for the Finnish team in the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy. It is pertinent to note that Valimaki reached #10 in the 2018 World Amateur Golf Ranking.


#3 Valimaki turned professional in 2019 and registered four professional wins that year

Valimaki began his professional career in early 2019. He was mostly active on the Pro Golf Tour that year. He won his first professional title at the Open Casa Green Golf in Morocco in February.

Furthermore, he won twice in August: first at the Starnberg Open and then at the EXTEC Czech One Open. He took home his fourth victory of the year in the Castanea Resort Championship at the end of the season.


#4 Valimaki has one win on the Finnish Tour

Valimaki has also competed on the Finnish Tour, where he won the NRG Open in 2019. He went on to defeat Peter Erofejeff in a playoff round.


#5 Valimaki joined the European Tour's Q-School in 2019

Sami Valimaki joined the European Tour's Qualifying School in 2019. After competing in six rounds, he won four rounds in the 60s. As a result, he earned the DP World Tour Card for the 2020 season.


#6 Valimaki won twice on the European Tour

After joining the European Tour, Valiamki has won twice. In just his sixth outing on the tour, he defeated Brandon Stone in a playoff at the Oman Open to capture his maiden victory. His second victory came recently, when he competed in the Qatar Masters 2023.


#7 Valmiaki carries a full bag of TaylorMade golf

Valimaki uses a full bag of TaylorMade golf equipment. Not only that, he sports an Oscar Jacobson outfit.

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