On the FPO side, Estonian Kristin Tattar won the European Open by executing one of the greatest comebacks of all time!
The final round was extremely tight right up to the last few holes. The top three competitors, Kristin Tattar, Silva Saarinen, and Eveliina Salonen, arrived at hole 16 within two strokes of each other. Despite the changes made to hole 16 this year, it played a crucial role in deciding the winner. Eveliina Salonen faltered on the hole, taking a triple bogey while Tattar and Saarinen both managed to score birdies.
On hole 18, Tattar led Saarinen by one stroke and the game was essentially decided by the opening throws of the hole. Saarinen threw her drive into the OB area while Tattar stayed in bounds. Tattar secured the win with a par, while Silva had to attempt a putt for birdie from the fairway. With Tattar playing it safe and Saarinen missing her putt, both women ended up with pars on their scorecards.
Silva Saarinen achieved the best result of her career in a Major tournament, finishing second with a score of -6. Saarinen told Frisbeegolfmedia that, despite the predominant feeling of disappointment, she had to be satisfied with her placement. Known for her reserved demeanor, Saarinen admitted to feeling somewhat nervous during the round, which impacted the game’s flow.
Eveliina Salonen started the round in the lead, but couldn’t perform at her usual level and dropped to fourth place. Missy Gannon surpassed Salonen, finishing with a total score of -3. Salonen’s total score fell to even par due to a disastrous final round of +9.
The European Open in the MPO division concluded with American Gannon Buhr’s celebration. The battle for the win was extremely tight between Buhr and Richard Wysocki.
Wysocki last won a Major tournament in 2017 when he claimed his second world championship. Today it seemed that he had returned to those years, chasing Buhr and being 14 throws under par after 17 holes.
The battle was decided on the last hole when Wysocki’s approach shot went out of bounds under the awards stage. Immediately after, Buhr threw his approach shot right under the basket and securing his victory.
Buhr won the European Open with a total score of -35, while Wysocki’s final score was -33. Paul McBeth took third place, unable to keep up with Buhr and Wysocki in the final round.
Niklas Anttila, who started Sunday in fourth place, played a round of -8, which dropped him a couple of places in the final standings. Anttila finished sixth with a total score of -25.
The final round attracted 5,500 spectators to The Beast in Nokia. Huge thanks to all of you who made it to The Monster or The Beast this week!
Suomenkieliset koosteet luettavissa Frisbeegolfmedian sivuilla.
