GETTING TO KNOW… EMILIA TUKIAINEN

In her first year as a professional, Emilia Tukiainen finished sixth in the LET Access Series Order of Merit to secure her LET card.

The Finn made 11 appearances on LETAS and had a very consistent year recording four top-10 finishes and two top-three finishes.

We caught up with Emilia ahead of the 2022 season to find out how she started with golf, turning professional, playing on LETAS and much more.

I was 8 years old. My parents and grandpa played golf, so they were the ones who got me into the sport. We had a big group of juniors at our golf club, and I made a lot of friends there. I started playing tournaments when I was very young, and I liked competing. It was really fun and I liked the buzz of it.

I moved to Helsinki. I am from the east of Finland and after I finished high school, I moved to Helsinki because the golf season back home is very short. All the coaches and facilities were in Helsinki, so I made the decision to go and get better.

You’re always trying to improve. That is what I love about golf and why I fell in love with it. You want to be better every day and you are always competing against yourself to be better. The goal is improvement and I love that.

I played on LETAS as an amateur. I competed in a few events when they were held in Finland. In 2018, I played in the Viaplay Ladies Finnish Open and that was my first top 10. I also got the best amateur prize that week which was exciting. Then in 2020, I finished in the top-10 and top-15 at two events.

It worked out well. I was thinking about turning professional and I was planning to go to Q-School last winter but with Covid-19, that didn’t happen. I decided I still wanted to turn professional, and I was hoping to get invites into events. Thankfully, I managed to play 11 LETAS events and got invites into two LET events too.

I had the belief that I could do it. That is the reason why I turned professional. I thought I was ready. When I played on LETAS as an amateur it proved to me that I was good enough and I had the potential to win if I played my own game. I think that was very important to me.

I enjoyed my year on LETAS. There were so many lovely girls that I met and got to play with. I hope I make new friends next year on the LET too. It is so important to make friends while you’re on Tour. I also have the Finns and it is definitely a sisterhood. We hang out together in our free time and I enjoy spending time with them.

It was a dream come true seeing Matilda do so well. When she won the Gant Ladies Open, I thought ‘wow’ because it made me realise Finns can also compete at the top level. It is possible when you work hard and when you believe in yourself. For her to be part of Team Europe at the Solheim Cup was great. I don’t have any words to describe it because it was so amazing. Hopefully there will be more Finns on the team in the future.

Tiia Koivisto told me in 2020 about getting your LET card through LETAS. We were in Dubai, and she said if I came in the top five or six that I could get my LET card. That was the first time it came into my mind that if I play well, I could go on the LET. After the first two LETAS events of the year, I didn’t play well in Czechia, but I finished T6 in France and I was in the top 10 of the Order of Merit. I thought I hadn’t played that well, but I was still up there so I told myself to focus more and do my best because I can get my card.

I was super nervous. Before the season finale in Barcelona, I could feel the nerves and I actually miscalculated. I thought I had to finish in the top four to secure my card because Charlotte [Liautier], who won, would get a lot of points. But thankfully, I finished T6 and that was enough for me to still be sixth in the Order of Merit.

I was so happy! It was my goal to get my card and I made it. I’m so glad about it. It was so fun and to see the other girls get their cards too, they are all lovely and we enjoyed that day. I still have my card that I got given, I will have to find a special place for it.

I’m proudest of 2021. It was so nerve-wracking, and I didn’t know what was going to happen. It was my highlight. To have two top-three finishes, be sixth in the Order of Merit and getting to play two LET events. It was something I wanted to do so badly, and I was very nervous but I’m really happy.

Quickfire Q&A

1. Who Is Your Hero? Annika Sorenstam and Nelly Korda.
2. What Makes You Happiest? Family and friends.
3. Best Travel Buddy? All the Finns.
4. Desert Island Dish? Fish.
5. Golfing Superstitions? None.
6. What Is Your Most Treasured Possession? Anything lilac or Finnish chocolate.
7. What Would You Sing At Karaoke? Pohjois-Karjala by Leevi and the leavings.
8. Favourite Course? Golfclub Murhof and Royal County Down.
9. Dream Fourball? Nelly Korda, Kiira Riihijärvi, and Phil Mickelson.