Press Release

European Challenge Tour renews
links with Finland

The European Challenge Tour will return to Finland after a four-year absence with the announcement of the SK Golf Challenge at St. Laurence Golf from June 12-15, 2008.
The SK Golf Challenge, the first Challenge Tour event to be played in the country since 2004 when Finland’s Roope Kakko won the Volvo Finnish Open as an amateur, will carry a prize fund of €150,000. The 2008 SK Golf Challenge will be the first event in a three year agreement with promoters SK Festivals Oy.
St Laurence Golf, located at Lohja, 50 kilometres west of the capital, Helsinki, was opened in 1990. The course is located on the grounds of the old Gunnarla Mansion and boasts two championship courses, Kalkki-Petteri (old course) and Pyhä Lauri (new course) along with a new six-hole practice course. It is widely regarded as one of the best golf facilities in Finland.
Finland hosted one of the first events on the Challenge Tour in its inaugural season of 1989 and the Volvo Finnish Open continued for 16 years until 2004. For six of those years there were in fact two Challenge Tour events in the season with the Finnish Masters from 1998-2000 preceding the Talma Finnish Challenge from 2001-2003.
The SK Golf Challenge in Finland further strengthens the ties in the Nordic region, joining events in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on the 2008 Challenge Tour schedule. Ultimately, SK Festivals’ goal for 2011 is to promote an event on The European Tour International Schedule in Finland.
Sedu Koskinen, owner of SK Festivals, said: "We are delighted and proud to announce that SK Festivals will be the promoter for a new era of Challenge Tour events in Finland. Our goal is to produce a streak of ‘high end’ entertainment golf events.”
SK Festivals are well known for ensuring their events stand out prominently and draw attention both at the location and in the media. Koskinen continued: "We believe that by combining sports and entertainment we can make SK Golf Challenge an interesting event for the players, spectators and especially the sponsors.”
Mika Walkamo, Chairman of the Board of the Finnish PGA, said: “To get a Challenge Tour event back on the Finnish calendar is just fabulous news for tournament golf in Finland.
“Finland deserves its own tournament for the tournament players. The SK Golf Challenge also gives the Finnish golf enthusiasts a great chance to see future star players perform in the Finnish summer.”
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the European Challenge Tour, said: “We are delighted to announce the SK Golf Challenge which renews our long association with Finland after a four year absence. Finland hosted one of the first events on the fledgling Challenge Tour in 1989 and that relationship continued right through to 2004. It is therefore particularly pleasing to be returning to Finland, a country that has always been such a staunch supporter of the Challenge Tour, in this our 20th season.
“The SK Golf Challenge offers a wonderful opportunity for Finnish golfers, all of whom will have been inspired by the recent exploits of Mikko Ilonen, who progressed from the Challenge Tour to win twice on The European Tour last season. We look forward to working with our hosts, St Laurence Golf, and the promoter, SK Festivals Oy, to make the SK Golf Challenge a great success.”