A Finnderella Story

Matilda Castren is having a season worthy of stars and fairy dust. Jorge Lemus, NurPhoto via Getty Images
Her name sounds like a Disney character. Matilda Castren. Wasn’t that one of those kids who escaped to Witch Mountain? Or maybe she was the apprentice in “Bedknobs and Broomsticks.” Unfortunately, if the real Matilda Castren’s story was submitted to Disney, the script would be rejected with a note that reads: “No way. I know we’re in the fairytale business. But this is just too unbelievable.”
The truest stories often defy belief. Matilda’s is no exception.
For starters, she’s Finnish, not something you hear very often in our game. On the men’s side, Mikko Ilonen won the 2000 British Amateur and captured a few titles on the European Tour before retiring. And another Finn named Mikko Korhonen won the Shot Clock Masters in 2018 and the 2019 Volvo China Open. But you’d be pretty deep in the Trivial Pursuit game before you got to any others.
On the women’s side, Minea Blomqvist won twice on the Ladies European Tour before getting marri...