REPORT: Kalle Samooja set to join LIV Golf’s Cleeks GC as newest member

Kalle Samooja, Finnish professional golfer who recently played on the European Tour, is expected to join LIV Golf's Cleeks Golf Club. This move was teased by an image posted to their official Instagram story. It was shortly deleted as if it had been mistakenly posted, but followers grabbed the screenshot for proof.

Samooja was one of three golfers who earned their LIV Golf membership recently. Zimbabwe's Kieran Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma from Japan were atop the leaderboard at the LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi after 36 holes. As a result, they were given membership cards, but they were not placed on teams.

Samooja said via ESPN:

"I think we had the best three guys from the field to get their cards."

He also added via LIV Golf's site:

“Once I came here, I knew this was the only thing I wanted to achieve… It’s a big step forward in my career.”

With the new free agency period and transfer possibilities in LIV Golf, they weren't immediately given teams so they could sign on with any team in theory. It's not yet been made official, but it looks like Samooja is headed to Cleeks, which currently has Martin Kaymer and Richard Bland on the roster.

LIV Golf's website describes Cleeks like this:

"A cleek was a long iron from golf’s earliest days – but there’s no way this team is stuck in the past. Multiple major winner Martin Kaymer leads a line-up that fully respects golf’s traditions but is fully committed to creating new chapters in the sport’s rich history. With every swing of their thoroughly modern clubs, Cleeks are driven to shine in this new format."

They also mentioned that it's a team with its eyes pointed towards the future, but with a focus on dominating the present. Last year, Cleeks GC finished 10th place, just ahead of Majesticks and Iron Heads.

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How does LIV free agency work for Kalle Samooja?

LIV Golf's free agency and transfer window is a brand new addition to the league this offseason. The league continues to distinguish itself with unique rules and this is one of them.

Kalle Samooja appears headed to Cleeks GC

Kalle Samooja is a brand new player, having just earned his LIV membership card. He doesn't fall under any of the categories of existing players since he wasn't ranked last year. That makes him a free agent.

Any team that doesn't sign an existing player to a new contract thereby creates a brand new roster spot. That seems to be what Cleeks GC did, and they're able to sign any of the newcomers who haven't been added to a team yet.

This puts no limits on where Kalle Samooja could sign, but according to that Instagram story that was shortly deleted, he chose to sign with Cleeks for an unknown amount.

Expect an official announcement soon, as the photo shows him with Cleeks players and ready to join the team. It's unlikely that changes, but LIV likely wanted to wait to make the official confirmation announcement.