Disc Golfers Shine in Latvia's 9Hill Open, PDGA Euro Tour Action Heats Up
Date Published
The sun shone brightly over the beautiful Laumas Course in Latvia as the fifth stop of the PDGA Euro Tour kicked off with the 9Hill Open. The Masters-only event brought together top disc golfers from Europe, competing on a course set up to provide ideal scoring conditions. The mixed fields played out on Friday at Laumas, while the more challenging 9Hill course awaited them for the final two rounds.
In the MP40 age group, Estonian Marko Nartis took the lead with a four-under opening round, but his advantage was narrowed to just one stroke over Martin Jenny, Rolands Gruzitis, and Dan Sööl. Two strokes behind these leaders were three other players, creating a closely contested field. Nartis' strong finish with three birdies down the stretch helped him secure his position at the top.
Käthlin Keremäe of Estonia dominated the FP40 age group with an impressive plus-8 round, establishing a six-stroke lead over Oksana Zukauskiene. The FP40 field will return to Laumas on Saturday for their second round.
In MP50, Lithuanian Raimondas Mikalkenas led by one stroke over Veikko Leemet of Estonia and Arnis Peksens from Latvia. Mikalkenas stood out with two birdies on the day and was the only player to achieve multiple birdies. The competition in this age group remained tight.
Derek Robins, a three-time winner on the PDGA Euro Tour this year, is well-positioned in MP60, aiming for his third victory of the season. As one of the first Europeans inducted into the Disc Golf Hall of Fame, Robins' experience and skill will undoubtedly serve him well.
Locals also made their presence known at the 9Hill Open. Rainers Balodis impressed with a bogey-free 12-under round that boasted an unofficial 1027 rating, earning second place behind Asko Krais's 10-under score. Mauri Villmann highlighted his four-under round with an ace on the challenging 84-meter hole 11.
In the FPO division, Ly Teder maintained a clean slate compared to her competitors with a three-over round and took a five-stroke lead over Maria Liivamägi.
Fans can look forward to post-produced coverage of the MP40 field, available soon via APShot DG on YouTube.
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