Finland's Disc Golf Fans Flock to Nokia Despite Chilly Weather

Finland's disc golf enthusiasts showed no signs of letting a chilly July day dampen their spirits as they flocked to Nokia DiscGolfPark for the 2017 Presidents Cup and European Open event. The President's Cup format pits two teams of eight athletes, six men and two women each, against each other in two nine-hole rounds. The first round is played in groups of four, with the best score within each group earning four points for their team, second-best scoring two points, and third-best one point.

Team USA has traditionally been strong in the first round, and this year was no exception. After the first round, Team USA held a commanding lead of 19.5 points over Europe's 8.5 points. Top performers on the first round included Paul McBeth with a score of -3 and Ricky Wysocki, Jeremy Koling, and Eagle McMahon with scores of -2.

However, the format for the second round was match play, which saw players competing against each other in pairs of two, with holes won or lost rather than shots taken. This change in format allowed Team Europe to shine, as they regained momentum and took charge of the second half.

In the women's pairings, Finnish reigning champion Eveliina Salonen and Slovakian runner-up Katka Bodova made an impressive comeback against US champions Valarie Jenkins and Catrina Allen. Despite being underdogs, Salonen and Bodova were not intimidated by their opponents and quickly took control. Salonen defeated Allen on the 17th hole, while Bodova won her match against Jenkins on the 16th hole.

While Team Europe's comeback was impressive, it ultimately wasn't enough to secure a victory for them. On the men's side, Nate Sexton and Eagle McMahon emerged as top performers in the second half, with Ricky Wysocki being the only US player to earn full points from match play. European players Teemu Nissinen, Leo Piironen, and KJ Nybo also had notable victories.

As the Presidents Cup comes to a close, attention turns to the main event of the week: the European Open. With a field of 144 top players competing on "The Beast" course at Nokia DiscGolfPark, fans are in for an exciting few days of competition. The first groups will tee off at 8:00 am tomorrow morning, with fan-voted lead card consisting of Nate Sexton, Eagle McMahon, Simon Lizotte, and defending champion Paul McBeth starting their round at 2:00 pm.

Although there won't be live broadcasts from the tournament action, fans can still stay up-to-date online. Follow our links to get all the essential information and updates from this year's European Open.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/team-usa-brings-home-presidents-cup-trophy