European Open Leaderboard Shaken Up as Barela Takes Charge

The European Open has been thrown into a new dynamic after an exciting twist in the second round of the tournament. Anthony Barela's scorching hot round propelled him up the leaderboard by 10 spots to take the lead at 19 strokes under par. The young player is now just two strokes ahead of Albert Tamm and Eagle McMahon, who are tied for second place.

Barela's impressive performance was not without a minor hiccup, however. On the final hole, he took two out-of-bounds strokes after initially breaking the course record at 13-under par. Despite this setback, Barela remained positive about his chances, attributing his success to a strong throwing game and precision putting.

"I was just getting the disc to fly great, and making all my circle one putts," Barela explained. "I was happy with how I threw every hole except for that bounce and rollaway on 18."

Meanwhile, Eagle McMahon, who finished in second place at 17 strokes under par, expressed his satisfaction with his own performance, despite feeling that he missed some key opportunities throughout the round.

"I'm just trying to focus on making the best shot possible," McMahon said. "I know every stroke matters, and it's all about putting yourself in position early on."

Barela's ascent to the top of the leaderboard is significant, given his lack of experience in major tournaments. Although he has not yet won an Elite Series or Major event, many analysts have been touting him as a potential future champion. If he can maintain this pace and take home the win at the European Open, Barela would join an elite group of players who have achieved this feat before winning their first Elite Series Event.

Two rounds remain in the tournament, leaving plenty of opportunities for other players to make a move up the leaderboard. With the top contenders tightly packed together, Round 3 promises to be an exciting and intense battle for dominance.

Fans can catch all the action live on the Disc Golf Network, which will broadcast coverage of Round 2 at 2:30 p.m. EEST / 7:30 a.m. EDT.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/leaderboard-shakeup