Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/08/02/preserve-championship-tattar-leaves-nothing-to-doubt-in-minnesota/
Kristin Tattar at the 2021 Preserve Championship. Photo: DGPT
Sunday felt more like a formality for Kristin Tattar at the Preserve Championship. The Estonian had shot the hot rounds on Friday and Saturday to give herself a seven stroke lead over the field, and with Sunday’s final round in jeopardy due to worsening air conditions, the outcome appeared like it would be the same whether they played the last 18 or not.
The event went on, and Tattar shot her third consecutive hot round — fourth if you count DGLO — to win her second consecutive Disc Golf Pro Tour Elite Series event with a final score of 19-under par total, 10 strokes ahead of second place Paige Pierce.
“I’m feeling great,” said Tattar after the round. “Although my putts were kind of shaky today, I missed a lot of them, so I had this weird feeling in me. But it’s always nice to win. So yeah, I’m very happy.”
Tattar two-putted six times in the final round, including three times in the opening four holes, which felt like a small opening for the field. It meant little in the end as Tattar played almost flawlessly over the final two-thirds of the course. For the three rounds, Tattar played 20-under par on holes 6 through 18 with only a single bogey.
“I always try to start every round like it’s a new round, not think about other rounds. It wasn’t any different,” said Tattar, when asked how she approached her final 18 holes in the United States for the foreseeable future. “It’s disc golf, sometimes you’re good, sometimes you’re not so good.”
In Clearwater, Minnesota, Tattar was very good.
She led the division in fairway hits, finding Circle 1 and Circle 2 in regulation, and strokes gained from tee-to-green at 25.12. She also paced the field in birdies and had the fewest holes played over par, as well as being the only player without a double-bogey or worse, and one of only two with zero OB strokes. Tattar only attempted one C2 putt in the final round, but going 5-of-12 from long range over the weekend also gave her the highest C2 putting percentage at 42%. Over the three rounds at the Airborn Disc Golf Preserve, Tattar averaged an unofficial 1000.33.
After arriving in the country before Pro Worlds in June, Tattar has won four of the six events she’s played, capturing two Elite Series events in the process to go with the Major she also won stateside at the 2019 USWDGC. She should be taking some newfound confidence into a couple of premier European events.
“I’m excited,” said Tattar. “I’m going to fly back tomorrow and we have European Championships coming up the following week. Just a few days at home and then we’re flying to Czech Republic. More disc golf.”
An opening round even par score had Pierce chasing Tattar on Saturday and Sunday, and with the way Tattar was playing she wasn’t going to be caught. Pierce tied Tattar’s final round 6-under par to move up into solo second at 9-under par total. Hailey King gets another Elite Series podium in 2021 with a third place finish at 5-under par total. Jessica Weese was one behind at 4-under par, her fifth Elite Series top five this year.