by Mervi Varonen
HEADLINES Magazine
Helsinki, Finland

   Until the turn of the century Finland was an undiscovered land in the world atlas of golf. Finnish golf was at its peak in the mid 90s, when a few professionals had the chance to set their tees for the PGA European Tour. But their careers never took off to higher levels and they struggled with moderate earnings. However, leisure golf began to thrive, and golf courses popped up all over Finland, soon numbering nearly a hundred.

   In June 2000, Mikko Ilonen opened a new page in Finland’s golfing history, placing his country clearly on the golf map as he won the prestigious title of British Amateur Championship at the Royal Liverpool course. The sweet, surprising victory brought the 20-year-old novice invitations to the hallowed British Open at St. Andrews and the U.S. Masters in Augusta, making him the first ever Finn to take part in a major tournament.

Taming the Tiger
   Having hit the jackpot as an amateur, Ilonen took a step forward in his career and turned professional in April 2001. Three months later he got into in the British Open at Royal Lytham through qualifying rounds. Having made the cut, Ilonen chose not to bow before his golf superstar peers. The rookie took 9th place, scoring six birdies on the final day, while Tiger Woods finished 25th. Ilonen pocketed over 100,000 euros, which is more prize money than most Finnish pros earn in a decade.

   While touring, Ilonen served his mandatory military service in the sports unit of the Finnish Defense Forces, which allowed him to practice and compete, but also made things complicated as he had to shuttle between tournaments and barracks. Whatever the reason, his performance suffered for a while and the next season got off to a slow start.

   Finally in August, 2002, he pulled his game together and was happy to finish 3rd with ten under par in the Wales Open. The uplift set the pace for the rest of the season. With a 9th place in Portugal and total winnings close to 200,000 euros, Ilonen secured his European Tour card for the following year – yet another remarkable milestone never before reached by a Finn.

   This season Ilonen is approaching the top 50 elite in the Volvo Order of Merit (PGA European Tour money list) and he was positioned 232 in the World Golf Rankings in early May 2003. Coached by Timo Rauhala for a decade, his career is in full swing and expectations are high.

   Teemu Tyry, editor-in-chief of www.golfpiste.com assesses Ilonen: “Mikko Ilonen is very strong mentally, and for him it is natural to aim for the top where he knows he belongs. As a youngster his game was more like a roller coaster, but in the last nine months with more than 260,000 euros in earnings he has shown that he has reached a new level.

   “On the European Tour, there are many great players between 20 and 25 years of age. Mikko is definitely one of them, a fact only a few anticipated until he figured 9th in the 2001 British Open. We expect that the best is yet to come. A win on a European Tour for a Finn seemed to be impossible few years ago. Not any more: Mikko Ilonen has given a face to Finnish golf.”

   Article reprinted with permission from HEADLINES, Summer 2003

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  Volume 13 Issue 1 - July 2003
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