Croatia Hosts First Ever International Disc Golf Event
Date Published
A major milestone was achieved in the world of disc golf as Croatia welcomed its first-ever international PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) event. The "Drava Forester" tournament, held on November 9th and 10th in Varazdin city, brought together players from across Europe to compete on the scenic banks of the Drava River and nearby forest.
The event was organized by the Lagoda Disc Golf Company in collaboration with the Varazdin Disc Golf Club. To make the event more accessible to international participants, the organizers received support from the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, which allowed them to offer special prices and reduced tournament fees for players from all over Europe.
The two-day tournament attracted a strong turnout of 50 players from 12 different countries, making it a truly international affair. The challenging course design featured a mix of fun and demanding holes that tested the skills of even the most experienced players.
Despite the heavy rain during the second round, which made gripping the disc extremely difficult, the event remained lively and enjoyable for all participants. In fact, many players praised the tournament's atmosphere and camaraderie, with several expressing their enthusiasm to return to Croatia in 2014 for next year's event.
The competition was fierce, with two divisions offered: Open Men and Women. The top performer among the men was Matias Söderström from Finland, who impressed the crowd with his exceptional skills, particularly during the final round when he made a hole-in-one on the last hole. Rounding out the top four in the Open Men's division were Dominik Stampfer (Germany), Otfried Derschmidt (Austria), and PDGA Hall of Famer Derek Robins (UK).
In the Open Women's division, Slovakian Katka Bodova took the top spot, followed closely by Wiltrud Derschmidt (Austria) and Jasmina Pistan (Slovenia).
As an added attraction, the Lagoda putting contest drew attention from players and spectators alike. The winner of this side event was Jonathan Gewirtz, a USA player currently residing in Norway.
For those interested in reviewing the complete results or browsing through photos from the event, they can visit the PDGA website for more information.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/pdga-croatia