Disc Golfers Shine at 9Hill Open in Latvia
Date Published
The beautiful weather and scenic course at the 9Hill Open set up ideal conditions for the fifth stop of the PDGA Euro Tour. The second Masters-only event of the series brought together talented disc golfers from across Europe, eager to compete on the challenging Laumas Course.
In the MP40 division, Estonia's Marko Nartis took an early lead with a four-under opening round, narrowly ahead of Martin Jenny, Rolands Gruzitis, and Dan Sööl. However, this was just one stroke over three other players, demonstrating the high level of competition in the field. Despite facing trouble on several holes, Nartis finished strong with three birdies down the stretch, leaving the remaining two rounds to be played on the more challenging 9Hill course.
The women's division saw Estonia's Käthlin Keremäe dominating FP40 with a plus-8 round, securing a six-stroke advantage over Oksana Zukauskiene. The FP40 field will return to Laumas for the second round on Saturday.
The battle was equally intense in MP50, where Lithuania's Raimondas Mikalkenas took the lead by one stroke over Estonia's Veikko Leemet and Latvia's Arnis Peksens. Mikalkenas stood out with two birdies on the day and led the field in this category.
Meanwhile, in MP60, Derek Robins of the United Kingdom is well-positioned for his third win of the year on the PDGA Euro Tour. As a pioneer of disc golf in Europe, Robins was the first European to be inducted into the Disc Golf Hall of Fame.
The event also featured MPO and FPO fields, with local players showcasing their skills. Rainers Balodis set an unofficial rating of 1027 on Laumas with a bogey-free 12-under round, while Asko Krais trailed close behind at 10-under. Mauri Villmann's ace on the 84-meter hole 11 highlighted his four-under round.
In FPO, Ly Teder maintained a clean record compared to the field, leading Maria Liivamägi by five strokes with a three-over round.
Post-produced coverage of the MP40 field will soon be available via APShot DG on YouTube for fans to relive the action and excitement.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/9hill-open-pdga-euro-tour-5