Staff WriterLauri Ruuska is back where the magic happened — and he’s hoping lightning strikes twice. The 31-year-old Finn will be aiming for a second Finnish Challenge title this week at Vierumäki Resort, the same patch of turf where, in 2023, he became only the second homegrown hero to win on Finnish soil.
That maiden HotelPlanner Tour triumph wasn’t just a win — it was a seven-shot demolition job, complete with a jaw-dropping opening-round 59. For the record, that makes Ruuska one of just four players in Tour history to break the 60 barrier, a club so exclusive it might as well have a bouncer.
The 2025 season on the Road to Mallorca has been a grind for Ruuska, with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster after a heavy lunch. But he’s banking on home comforts, familiar fairways, and a few friendly Finnish roars to reboot his year.
“It was very cool to win here two years ago,” he said. “It was a bit of a relief for me at the time because I had been playing on the HotelPlanner Tour for a long time and to finally win, especially in my home country, was huge for me.
“I had my friends and family with me and there were so many people around the green. It was such a special feeling and they’re the moments that we play the game for.
“Good memories definitely bring some confidence, and you start to remember some of the shots that you hit, especially when I shot 59. It’s been a bit of a challenge for me recently but hopefully I can lean on those memories and start to play some good golf again.”
He’ll need that confidence. The Finnish Challenge field is stacked, with Road to Mallorca leader Josh Berry, three-time PGA TOUR winner Jonas Blixt, and last week’s Irish Challenge champion Oihan Guillamoundeguy all in town.
South Africa’s Daniel van Tonder, already with two wins this season, is also here sniffing at the possibility of an automatic promotion to the DP World Tour with a third.
Play gets underway tomorrow at 7:30 am local time, and Ruuska’s marquee group with Berry and Blixt will tee off at 1:20 pm. If he can summon even half the form that brought him glory — and that magical 59 — Finland’s golf fans might just get another party around the 18th green.
