Toni Karjalainen

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Toni Karjalainen

| image =

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|7|9|df=y}}

| birth_place = Lappeenranta, Finland

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| height = {{height|m=1.88|precision=0}}

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| nationality = {{FIN}}

| residence = Espoo, Finland

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| yearpro = 2003

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| extour = European Tour
Asian Tour
Challenge Tour
Nordic Golf League

| prowins = 6

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| chalwins = 2

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| otherwins = 4

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| award1 = Finnish Tour
Order of Merit winner

| year1 = 2002

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}}

Toni Karjalainen (born 9 July 1979) is a Finnish professional golfer who formerly played on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour. He was his country's highest ranked male golfer and one of only a few Finnish golfers playing on the leading professional tours when he won twice on the Challenge Tour in 2005 and 2006.

Amateur career

As an amateur, Karjalainen represented his country at the European Youths' Team Championship, the European Amateur Team Championship{{cite book |last=Jansson |first=Anders |url=http://www.e-magin.se/paper/1pfc350j/popup/1? |title=Golf - Den stora sporten |date=2004 |publisher=Swedish Golf Federation |isbn=91-86818007 |pages=188–190 |language=sv |trans-title=Golf - The great sport |access-date=22 March 2021}}{{cite magazine |date=August 2001 |title=EM herrar |trans-title=Men's European Championship |url=http://www.e-magin.se/paper/j0btbf03/paper/1#/paper/dgqcmxm0/116 |magazine=Svensk Golf |language=sv |pages=112-114 |access-date=17 April 2021 |number=8}}{{cite web |title=European Amateur Team Championship Results, 2001 - Ljunghusen GC, Sweden |url=http://www.ega-golf.ch/page/european-amateur-team-championship-results |access-date=17 April 2021 |publisher=European Golf Association}} and twice at the Eisenhower Trophy. At the 2001 European Amateur Team Championship at Ljunghusen Golf Club in Sweden, team Finland finished a historical high forth (behind England, Ireland and Sweden) in the qualifying stroke-play competition and lost to champions to be Scotland in the quarter-finals.

In June 2002, still an amateur, Karjalainen won the Messilä Trophy in Finland on the Nordic Golf League.{{cite web |title=Golfdata, Toni Karjalainen, Alla tävlingsresultat |trans-title=Golfdata, Toni Karjalainen, All competition results |url=https://golfdata.se/sgfranking/players_startpage?PlayerID=3788 |accessdate=12 January 2023 |publisher=Swedish Golf Federation}}

Professional career

Karjalainen earned his playing rights on the 2004 Nordic Golf League by finished second at the qualifying school at Eslöv Golf Club in Sweden at the end of 2003.

Karjalainen won the 2005 Thomas Bjørn Open in Denmark in his first season on the Challenge Tour, the European Tour's official developmental tour, on his way to finish 20th on the Order of Merit, the last place to earn full membership, with limited privileges, on the European Tour for 2006. He followed that up in 2006 by winning again on the Challenge Tour, the Telenet Trophy at the Limburg Golf and Country Club in Belgium in a last round interrupted by thunderstorms.{{cite web |title=Players, Toni Larjalainen, Wins and Results, Tournament Wins |url=https://www.europeantour.com/players/25976/results?tour=dpworld-tour |accessdate=11 January 2023 |publisher=European Tour}} He also made several appearances on the main European Tour in 2006, making five cuts. His best finish on the European Tour was tied 20th at the 2006 BA-CA Golf Open in Vienna, Austria.{{cite web |title=Players, Toni Karjalainen, Overview, Meet Toni |url=https://www.europeantour.com/players/25976/?tour=dpworld-tour |accessdate=11 January 2023 |publisher=European Tour}}

In July 2006 he reached a career best 282nd on the Official World Golf Ranking, and was at the time Finland's highest ranked player.{{cite web |title=Players, Toni Karjalainen |url=https://www.owgr.com/playerprofile/toni-karjalainen-7953|accessdate=12 January 2023 |publisher=Official World Golf Ranking}}

Having lost his playing privileges in Europe at the end of the 2008 season, Karjalainen joined the Asian Tour in 2009 after coming through qualifying school.{{cite web |title=Karjalainen grabs weekend lead in Asian Tour opener |url=https://www.pgatour.com/news/2009/02/06/asianopener.html |date=6 February 2009 |accessdate=11 January 2023 |publisher=PGA Tour}}

Professional wins (6)

=Challenge Tour wins (2)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|12 Jun 2005

|Thomas Bjørn Open

| +4 (66-73-74-75=288)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|SWE}} Oskar Bergman

align=center|2

|align=right|21 May 2006

|Telenet Trophy

|−14 (66-73-67-68=274)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|ESP}} Ivó Giner, {{flagicon|ENG}} Gary Lockerbie

=Nordic Golf League wins (3)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|30 Jun 2002

|Messilä Trophy

|−15 (63-67-71=201)

|6 strokes

|{{flagicon|FIN}} Erik Stenman

align=center|2

|align=right|12 Jun 2009

|FGT II

|−12 (66-68-70=204)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|FIN}} Joonas Granberg, {{flagicon|FIN}} Thomas Sundström

align=center|3

|align=right|31 Jul 2011

|Gant Open

|−16 (65-66-69=200)

|Playoff

|{{flagicon|SWE}} Kristoffer Broberg

=Finnish Tour wins (1)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.

!Date

!Tournament

!Winning score

!Margin of
victory

!Runner-up

align=center|1

|align=right|28 Jul 2002

|SM Reikäpeli

|colspan=2 align=center|1 up

|{{flagicon|FIN}} Mikael Piltz

Team appearances

Amateur

European Youths' Team Championship (representing Finland): 1998, 2000{{cite web |title=EGA Events, Results, European Team Championships, European Youths' Team Championship |url=https://www.ega-golf.ch/page/european-youths-team-championship |accessdate=10 January 2023 |publisher=European Golf Association}}
Eisenhower Trophy (representing Finland): 2000,{{cite web |url=https://gsites.brightspotcdn.com/e9/b6/7879e13d922ddc7a32e9c768a422/2000-wagtc.pdf |title=2000 World Amateur Golf Team Championships Record Book |publisher=World Amateur Golf Council |accessdate=10 January 2023}} 2002
European Amateur Team Championship (representing Finland): 2001{{cite news |date=6 July 2001 |title=Ireland cruise past Germany |newspaper=Irish Independent |url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/golf/ireland-cruise-past-germany-26079454.html |access-date=20 April 2021}}