Sami Valimaki becomes first Finnish golfer to win on the PGA Tour

Sali Valimaki (YouTube)

History was made in men’s golf on Sunday. For the first time ever, a golfer from Finland won on the PGA Tour. Sami Valimaki of Nokia, Finland won the 2025 RSM Classic from Saint Simons Island, Georgia.

Valimaki posted a winning score of -23. He had a first round score of six-under-par 66, a second round score of eight-under-par 62, a third round score of five-under-par 65, and a fourth round score of four-under-par 66. It should be noted that in the first two rounds, the golfers participated on two different courses. One round was competed on the Plantation Course, which had a par of 72. Another round was competed on the Seaside Course, which had a par of 70. The final two rounds were at the Seaside Course.

There were two more golfers in contention. Max McGreevy of Edmond, Oklahoma was in second place all alone at -22. Ricky Castillo of Yorba Linda, California was all alone in third place at -21.

This is the second straight week McGreevy finished in the top three. A week ago, McGreevy placed third with a score of -10 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

With the win on the weekend, Valimaki moved up 58 places in the world rankings. He was 98th in the world, and now he is 40th. Valimaki has also moved up 121 places in the world in the last year. At the end of the 2024 season, Valimaki was ranked 161st in the world.

Sami Valimaki has a National Hockey League connection. He is the cousin of former NHL defenseman Juuso Valimaki of Nokia, who played five seasons with the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes from 2018 to 2024.