The Road to Mallorca heads to Finland for the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge at Vierumäki Resort this week. Here’s what you need to know before the action gets underway on Thursday…
Home success
Kim Koivu was victorious on home soil at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge in 2018 becoming the first Finn to win the event after coming out on top in a play-off against Scotsman and Challenge Tour graduate Robert MacIntyre to secure his second European Challenge Tour title of the season. Koivu added a third title later that year, the 2018 Rolex trophy and subsequently gained automatic promotion to the European Tour. The Finn failed to keep his European Tour playing rights and has struggled since but will be hoping that a return to local territory this week can trigger an upturn in form. Compatriots including Roope Kakko who finished in a tie for third at this event in 2019 and Matias Honkala who finished in a tie for third at the recent Euram Bank Open will be looking to replicate Koivu’s success on home soil.
Previous champions
José-Filipe Lima triumphed at the 2019 Vierumäki Finnish Challenge to claim his fifth Challenge Tour title, putting him in a tie for sixth place for players with most Challenge Tour wins. In 2017, Englishman Paul Howard claimed victory in exceptional circumstances as the fourth round was cancelled after torrential rain flooded Vierumäki Resort and the tournament was reduced to 54 holes. Dominic Foos will be looking forward to a return to a country he once made history by becoming the Challenge Tour’s youngest ever winner at the age of 17 when he prevailed in wire-to-wire fashion in 2015. Foos has not won since 2015 but will be hoping a return to Finland can enable him to replicate history. Another former champion is Welshman Stuart Manley who claimed a two-stroke victory in 2013. Manley won the Euram Bank Open earlier this year on the Challenge Tour but is not in the field this week.
European Young Masters
Vierumäki Resort recently hosted the European Young Masters on the Cooke course from July 22-24. The tournament comprised of the most talented under-16 golfer’s from 26 different countries competing against each other in a three day tournament with Spain’s Jorge Siyuan Hao claiming the boy’s individual title and Germany’s Helen Briem taking home the girl’s title. Germany claimed the Nation’s Cup title, in what was their third consecutive trophy in the European Young Masters with players Helen Briem, Philippa Gollan, Tim Wiedemeyer and Peer Wernicke representing the team.
