Nokia Open Leaders Battle On At The Beast After Day One Drama

The Nokia Open, the sixth stop on the PDGA Euro Tour schedule, is well underway in Finland. The competition has already produced some thrilling results, with both male and female leaders emerging from the first round of action. For those familiar with The Beast, it's no surprise that the course has proven to be a baptism by fire for all 114 participants.

At the top of the men's field is Rasmus Saukkoriipi from Finland, who posted an impressive 5-under-par score on Thursday. This exceptional performance saw him notch up eight birdies and limit his mistakes to just one bogey. Notably, he managed to overcome a challenging four-hole stretch at the end of his round without any significant setbacks. With an unofficial rating of 1046, a whopping 53 points above his actual rating, Saukkoriipi has established himself as the front-runner in MPO (Men's Professional) division.

Saukkoriipi now leads by one stroke over four other players: Lauri Lehtinen, Juho Kovanen, Samuel Hänninen, and Kristian Kuoska. Furthermore, 11 competitors are within striking distance with just 36 holes left to play in this grueling competition.

On the women's side, Heidi Laine has taken a three-stroke lead after carding an impressive plus-7 round. With two birdies and only one bogey on her scorecard, she demonstrated remarkable composure under pressure. Her current rating of 964 is testament to her skill and dominance on The Beast. Meanwhile, Maria Liivamägi trails by three strokes in second place, while Anneli Tõugjas lags behind by an even larger margin.

Interestingly, the layout for this edition of the Nokia Open differs slightly from that of the European Open track. Although 17 holes remain unchanged, a few notable adjustments have been made, including the infamous buncr hole, which now serves as the 14th hole in the competition's configuration.

As the players embark on their journey to conquer The Beast over the next two days, fans can expect plenty of excitement and drama. With such strong performances from Saukkoriipi and Laine thus far, it will be intriguing to see how the rest of the field responds as they aim to bridge the gap.

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Heidi Laine leads the Nokia Open by three strokes. Photo: Matej Verl / PDGA Euro Tour

To tame The Beast, players must battle every single hole.

Part one of the battle is in the books at the Nokia Open, the sixth PDGA Euro Tour stop of the season, and both leaders in MPO and FPO have earned that right.

For the first 18 holes at least.

Finland’s Rasmus Saukkoriipi tamed The Beast the best on Thursday, finishing with a 5-under opening round that checks in with an unofficial 1046 rating – 53 points above his rating – and a one-stroke lead over a 114-player field.

In FPO, Heidi Laine’s lead is slightly larger, but narrowly, after a plus-7 round, good enough for a 964 rating and a three-stroke lead heading into the weekend.

Rasmus Saukkoriipi leads a tight field after the first round on the Beast. Photo: Rasmus Saukkoriipi

The Nokia Open is played on a slightly different course than the European Open track, including the infamous buncr hole, which plays as hole 14 in the Nokia Open layout. Seventeen holes remain the same as the long-running PDGA Major track.

Follow the Nokia Open on PDGA Live »

Saukkoriipi carded eight birdies on the day, including a four-hole stretch to close out his round. He limited his miscues to single bogeys on a day that saw no player turn in a clean scorecard. The lead is one stroke over four players — Lauri Lehtinen, Juho Kovanen, Samuel Hänninen and Kristian Kuoska — and two strokes over four more players. In total, 11 players are within three strokes with 36 holes to play.

Laine, meanwhile, kept her bogeys to singles, and carded two birdies, including the only one in the field on hole 12. Laine leads Maria Liivamägi by three strokes and is 11 strokes clear of Anneli Tõugjas in third place.

Paul Francz tees off during the first round of the Nokia Open in Finland. Photo: Matej Verl / PDGA Euro Tour

Here are the leaders for the rest of the Euro Tour field:

Stay tuned for coverage of the MPO and FPO lead cards from More Disc Golf.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/nokia-open-pdga-euro-tour-6