Finnish Challenge

Vierumäki Finnish Challenge
Tournament information
LocationVierumäki, Finland
Established2001
Course(s)Vierumäki Resort
Par72
Length7,074 yards (6,468 m)
Tour(s)Challenge Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund270,000
Month playedAugust
Tournament record score
Aggregate257 Lauri Ruuska (2023)
To par−27 as above
Current champion
Sweden Christofer Blomstrand
Location map
Vierumäki Resort is located in Finland
Vierumäki Resort
Vierumäki Resort
Location in Finland

The Finnish Challenge is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour. It was first played at Golf Talma in Talma, Finland, from 2001 to 2003, but took a hiatus from 2004 to 2011. The 2012–14 editions of the tournament were played at the Kytäjä Golf Club in Kytäjä, Hyvinkää, Finland. The 2015 tournament was played at Aura Golf Club in Turku. From 2016 to 2023, the tournament was played at the Vierumäki Resort in Vierumäki.

In 2023, Lauri Ruuska recorded a round of 59, becoming the fourth sub-60 round on the Challenge Tour.[1]

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Venue
Vierumäki Finnish Challenge
2024 Sweden Christofer Blomstrand 268 −20 1 stroke France Alexander Lévy
Sweden Mikael Lindberg
Vierumäki
2023 Finland Lauri Ruuska 257 −27 7 strokes Scotland Jack McDonald
Sweden Joakim Wikström
Vierumäki
2022 Germany Velten Meyer 262 −26 5 strokes Germany Marc Hammer Vierumäki
2021 Denmark Marcus Helligkilde 265 −23 2 strokes Sweden Jesper Svensson Vierumäki
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019 Portugal José-Filipe Lima 274 −14 1 stroke South Africa Bryce Easton Vierumäki
2018 Finland Kim Koivu 267 −21 Playoff Scotland Robert MacIntyre Vierumäki
2017 England Paul Howard 199[a] −17 2 strokes Sweden Simon Forsström Vierumäki
2016 England Sam Walker 273 −15 2 strokes France Julien Guerrier
Scotland Scott Henry
France Romain Langasque
Netherlands Darius van Driel
Vierumäki
Gant Open
2015 Germany Dominic Foos 270 −14 3 strokes Spain José Manuel Lara
Scotland Jamie McLeary
Germany Marcel Schneider
South Africa Brandon Stone
Aura
Vacon Open
2014 Chile Mark Tullo 264 −20 3 strokes Sweden Pelle Edberg Kytäjä
Finnish Challenge
2013 Wales Stuart Manley 267 −21 2 strokes Portugal José-Filipe Lima Kytäjä
2012 Sweden Kristoffer Broberg 269 −15 6 strokes Netherlands Wil Besseling Kytäjä
2004–2011: No tournament
Talma Finnish Challenge
2003 Australia Marcus Fraser 275 −13 Playoff Sweden Tony Edlund Talma
2002 England Lee S. James 269 −19 2 strokes England Matthew Blackey Talma
2001 Sweden Klas Eriksson 272 −16 4 strokes England Gary Clark Talma

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Miettinen, Jussi (August 17, 2023). "Lauri Ruuska teki historiaa – alitti ensimmäisenä suomalaisena 60 lyönnin rajan" [Lauri Ruuska made history – first Finn to go under 60 strokes]. gogolf.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved August 17, 2023.
[edit]