Croatia Prepared To Crown European Champions
Croatia Prepared To Crown European Champions
27 participating countries is most ever at a PDGA Tour event
LifeClass Termi Resort is Croatia hosts this week's European Disc Golf Championships. Photo: PDGA
This week the biennial European Disc Golf Championships continues its long-standing tradition as the grande dame of the tournament scene on the mother continent. Hosted by the European Disc Golf Federation and Lagoda Disc Golf, the 2018 EDGC will tee off Wednesday morning in Croatia’s northernmost county of Medimurje.
It’s a unique privilege to be able to compete in this prestigious event, as players are selected by their national associations and team captains on the basis of merit. All told, 200 of Europe’s finest disc golfers representing 27 different countries – from traditional powerhouses Finland and Sweden, to the exploding hotbed of Estonia; from isolated, volcanic Iceland to the newbies of Ukraine, Serbia, and Portugal – have been learning the nuances of the course and fine tuning their putters in pursuit of the dream of being crowned European Champions on Saturday. It's the largest number of countries represented at a PDGA event.
Based at the LifeClass Termi Resort, an 18-hole tournament layout meanders up and down the undulating slopes of a ball golf course and into the surrounding woods. Designed by Californian Jon Baldwin and Tournament Director Dinko Šimenc, this track checks in as a 2,530-meter (8,300-foot) long, par-60, non-stop gut check for the Open, Pro Masters 40+, and Junior ≤18 division that will test every shot in the competitors’ bags. The Open Women’s and other age-based divisions are only being given small compensation in the form of slightly shorter tees on three holes.
On paper, the Open division favorite is surely Germany’s trick shot-meister Simon Lizotte, whose previous EDGC victory came in 2012. He will be hotly pursued by Denmark’s K.J. Nybo, who is looking to steal the show and take home the coveted continental championship title that has eluded him to date, and by a horde of far-flying Finns, including defending European Champion Leo Piironen, 2014 best-in-show Seppo Paju, and 2016 Junior winner Väinö Mäkelä.
Rising Open Women’s star and defending gold medalist Eveliina Salonen will be looking to replicate her 2016 success, while fellow Suomi teenager Henna Blomroos gives chase. Sweden’s Sofie Björlycke and Estonia’s Kristin Tattar will also be among the leading ladies in quest of the biggest wins of their careers.
The 29-player Pro Masters field features three EDGC MP40 rookies of note: multi-time French national champion Sylvain Gouge, semi-retired, but still far-throwing Swede Markus Källström, and Denmark’s Thomas Rasmussen, who is undefeated in 2018. Not to be overlooked is the battle of the MJ18 young guns led by Finland’s 991-rated Oskari Vikström.
The tournament format is one round of staggered starts per day, from Wednesday through Saturday, with a cut to the top 50 percent (plus ties) for the final round. Shooting well will put players in line for a share of the purse of €17,000 ($20,000) and a place on the medals podium.
On behalf of our Croatian hosts, we wish all the competitors sreću i veliku vještinu: good luck and great skill!
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