Tapio Pulkkanen is a Finnish professional golfer who has played on the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour, and in the Nordic Golf League.
Get to know him better through these 11 facts about him.
Facts of Tapio Purkanen
1. Purkanen was born on May 21, 1990 in Kotka, southern Finland.
2. He started playing golf when he was nine years old through his elder brother.
3. Purkanen scored his first hole-in-one at age 12, and at 14 he decided to give up soccer and devote himself full time to golf.
4. At the age of 16, he played abroad for the first time as a junior player and won the Finnish Junior Championship.
5. He represented Finland in the Eisenhower Cup and the European Amateur Team Championships, finishing seventh against the likes of Thomas Peters, Andy Sullivan and Alexander Levy.
6. Purkanen won three professional tournaments while still an amateur – including the 2012 Finnish Open – and finished as the 46th-best amateur in the world.
7. After turning pro in 2013, Purkanen finished second in his Challenge Tour debut at the Madrid Challenge, but never finished higher than 34th in the next two seasons.
8. 2015 was Purkanen’s finest year yet, as he won the Nordic Golf League and returned to the Challenge Tour, winning five titles in total.
9. He won his first Challenge Tour title at the 2017 Kazakhstan Open by defeating Chase Koepka (brother of five-time major champion Brooks) in a play-off and finished the season atop the season order, booking a spot on the DP World Tour.
10. His best result on the DP World Tour is T2 at the 2021 D+D Royal Czech Masters.
11. He is known for wearing a Trilby hat, which was inspired by a former captain of his hometown Kymen Golf Club.
Tapio Purkanen Bio
(Image source: Getty Images)
| born | May 21, 1990 | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| high | 6 feet 2 inches (1.88m) | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| Becoming a Pro | 2013 | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| Current itinerary | DP World Tour/Challenge Tour | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| Previous Tours | Nordic Golf Union | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| Professional player wins | 9 | Line 5 – Cell 2 |
| Best overall result | 167 | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
Tapio Pulkkanen wins a professional tournament
| event | travel | Fraction |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 FGT 4th generation | Nordic Golf Union | -9 (4 pars) |
| 2010 Finland Trip 6 | Nordic Golf Union | -10 (2 shots) |
| 2012 Finnish Open | Nordic Golf Union | -14 (4 strokes) |
| 2015 North District Charity Challenge | Nordic Golf Union | -7 (Playoffs) |
| 2015 ECCO German Masters | Nordic Golf Union | -8 (3 records) |
| 2015 Finnish Open (2) | Nordic Golf Union | -9 (4 pars) |
| 2015 Made in Denmark Qualifying Competition | Nordic Golf Union | -5 (Playoffs) |
| 2015 Kristianstad Aarhus Open | Nordic Golf Union | -8 (3 records) |
| 2017 Kazakhstan Open | Challenging Journey | -17 (Playoffs) |
