Luukas Alakulppi’s work ethic extends beyond the golf course and into the classroom. Of course if he’s ranked seventh in his class, it stands to reason that he puts out a lot of effort when it comes to schoolwork. He hopes to one day get a shot to play on the PGA Tour but he isn’t putting all of his eggs into that basket. Alakulppi begins college classes next year while he finishes up at Valdosta High, and he plans to major in something related to business, finance, or economics when he gets to the college of his choice. He maintains his class ranking while practicing golf every day and traveling the country playing tournaments on a regular basis. “School work always comes first. When I’m done with that, then I go out to the course and practice,” he says.
When we last met with Luukas Alakulppi, he was a 14-year-old freshman beginning his high school golf career at Valdosta High School. His career with the Wildcats started with a bang; he let everyone know early on that he was one of the golfers in Region 1-6A to beat. When he and I spoke back then, he was on the eve of the region tournament, where he hoped to win the low medalist award. Alakulppi won three tournaments as a freshman but he didn’t win the low medalist at region. He did, however, qualify for the state tournament, which was played at Springhill Country Club in Tifton, where he eventually finished second with a 71.
Now a junior, Alakulppi finally won a low medalist award at region last year; he fired a 67, again at Springhill in Tifton. “I love that course,” he laughs. At the state tournament, he triple bogeyed the second hole, which put his back against the wall for the entire round. Alakulppi escaped with a 73, good enough for a seventh-place finish. Top 10 in the state is impressive but for any golfer but Alakulppi knows he can do better.
When he and I spoke this year, the season had just begun. Alakulppi wanted to improve upon last year’s showing all the 
way around. He wanted to shoot par or better in each match or tournament and he wanted his team to win the region championship, which will be held at Valdosta Country Club. “We have a shot at the region title. We need the rest of the scores to be in the high 70s or low 80s. If we can do that, we can win it,” he says. Of course, Alakulppi would like to win his second consecutive low medalist award as well.
In 2014, Alakulppi reached another milestone when he qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur tournament, which took place at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. The junior amateur is a difficult tournament – the course is long, the weather brutal, the stakes high. Alakulppi missed the cut by three strokes but came away from the tournament with a new appreciation for what he needed to do in order to compete with the best golfers in the country. “It was a great experience. I just need to work on not making mistakes on the course. If I can play consistently and limit my mistakes, I will be fine,” he says.
At this stage of Alakulppi’s career, things are moving along according to plan. He has remained healthy and still loves getting on the course every day. His grades are among the best in his class – he is ranked 7th among the Class of 2016 – and he has a number of Division I schools pursuing him. “I’m where I want to be. I’m really happy to get to play in a few national level tournaments. I love getting out on the course every day and working. After all these years, it’s still a lot of fun,” he says.
Player Spotlight/South Georgia/April 2015
Luukas Alakulppi
Valdosta High School
Valdosta, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Now a junior, Luukas Alakulppi remains at the top of the Region 1-6A golf heap
