Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2019/07/30/weekend-rewind-junior-aged-vikstrom-wins-finnish-nationals/
Photo: Tomi Mäkpää
A week removed from the European Open and the tournament scene hasn’t slowed down across the pond.
The 2019 Finnish Nationals saw 15 1000+ rated players in the Open field and two of the top-rated women in the world playing FPO.
After four rounds on the Iso Heitto course in Keuruu, Oskari Vikström came out on top of MPO, knocking off higher-rated pros like Väinö Mäkelä, Jesse Nieminen, and Teemu Nissinen in the process. Vikström took the lead with an event-best 1054-rated, 8-under par 53 in the third round, the second-highest rated round of his career, and fought off the final round nerves to finish in first by four strokes at 24-under par total.
Vikström is just one year removed from a Junior <15 Finnish title.
Joona Heinänen finished second, and Mikael Häme, who hit an ace on hole 16 during round two, finished third, eight strokes behind Vikström.
Henna Blomroos and Eveliina Salonen were again no. 1 and 2 in a tournament both participated in, with Blomroos taking the W for her second consecutive Finnish Nationals crown. The two went back and forth over the four rounds with the results coming down to the back nine of the final round.
Blomroos went 1-under par after the turn to Salonen’s 3-over par. She won by three strokes, finishing at 16-over par total to Salonen’s 19-over par. Third place finisher Tinja Väisänen’s final score was 45-over par.
Nate Sexton and a couple other Americans have extended their stay in Europe and some of them will be bringing home some new hardware.
Playing the Baltic Tour’s Alutaguse Open in Estonia, Sexton shot a 1070-rated second round to take the lead from Albert Tamm and held onto it for the final 18 holes to win by six strokes. It’s Sexton’s first win in eight tournaments this season. The second round was his highest-rated since round two of the Las Vegas Challenge in February.
Tamm still brought his bazooka to Mäetaguse Disc Golf Park and finished in second place, five strokes ahead of third place Gregg Barsby.
Keiti Tätte won the Open Women division. It’s her first career A-tier win.
At the Fort Steilacoom Open in Lakewood, Washington, Nick Wood was the only player in the 43 player field to shoot both rounds rated 1000 or better.
Wood would go on to beat Quinn Rodius by a single stroke and picked up the needed edge on the final hole of the event.
Leanne Fulton won FPO by ten strokes.
Loosies
- Joe Rovere bested Eagle McMahon to win Kiss The Sky by two strokes. Kona Panis won FPO.
- Scott Withers got win no. 10 of the year at the Pac-West Classic.
- Josh Anthon overcame a 985-rated opener with a 1078-rated second at the Rockin Pro-Am to win. Amanda Zaccone won her 10th event of the season.
- At the Santa Maria Open, Sias Elmore beat Steve Rico, but the real story was Ohn Scoggins (!) winning the first event she’s entered in almost three years.
- Winning the FPO crown at the 2019 Sizzler was Christina Linthicum.
- Cameron Messerschmidt won the Three Rivers Open in Indiana.