How sharp will Kristin's game be after a 10-week layoff?
July 11, 2024 by Justin Westfall in Preview with 0 comments
The European swing has officially begun with the next major of the season, the European Open, now just one week away. The Krokhol Open, held at the Krokhol disc golf course just outside of Oslo, Norway, begins this Friday, July 12th. While just three Americans will be playing in the FPO division, 38 Americans are registered in MPO. Most of the pros making the trip overseas will play in the Krokhol Open, European Open, and the European Disc Golf Festival in Estonia over the next three weekends.
Last year, Paul McBeth entered the final round of Krokhol one stroke off the lead, closely followed by Bradley Williams, who was two shots back. Both were putting together good final rounds, with McBeth out in front and maintaining his one stroke lead on Williams going into the tricky hole 14. Williams parked the hole with a forehand while McBeth left his tee shot short in circle 2, giving him a lengthy death putt for birdie. McBeth shorted the putt, leading to a rollaway out of bounds and an eventual double-bogey. Williams grabbed a two-stroke lead and was able to hold on through the final four holes, defeating McBeth by a stroke. In FPO, Silva Saarinen led by seven going into the final round. Despite a poor final round, she was able to win comfortably by six strokes, kicking off a string of three consecutive wins.
Four Things We’ll Be Watching
1. This weekend marks the long-awaited return of Kristin Tattar, who has not played in an event since the Champions Cup more than 10 weeks ago. Tattar had planned on playing in the Portland Open and Beaver State Fling last month but suffered a broken rib while doing home renovations and has been sidelined since. The good news is that Tattar has already been training for a couple of weeks and should be good to go for this weekend, which will also be her first event since becoming the first 1000-rated FPO player With a somewhat limited FPO field, Tattar is the clear favorite, even if there is plenty of uncertainty about where her game is after the long layoff and injury.
2. Silva Saarinen went on a tear in the month of June, winning five consecutive events in five straight weekends in Europe. Saarinen is the reigning champion of this event, but she’s coming off a tough 3rd place finish at the Finnish National Championship. Saarinen finished last weekend’s event nine strokes off the lead, losing 12 strokes to winner Eveliina Salonen on hole 18 over the course of four rounds. At this time last year, Saarinen was rated just 927 with two A-tier wins on her resume. One year later, Saarinen is now rated 968 and has 10 such wins, including three on the DGPT Silver Series and in the past few weeks added two more on the Elite series. The highest rated FPO players in the field last year were Rachel Turton and Anniken Steen at 938. This year, there are eight players rated over 938 including Turton and Steen, who are now rated 944 and 951, respectively. With the ultimate challenge in Kristin Tattar to face off against, many will be eager to see if Saarinen can conquer Krokhol and earn a 3rd Elite series win.
3. Paul McBeth is coming off a 2nd place finish at the Swedish Open and undoubtedly wants a chance at revenge after finishing 2nd at last year’s Krokhol Open. McBeth is still searching for his first win at any event since his only Elite Series win last season at the PCS Open. It’s no secret that McBeth thrives in Europe, boasting a 52% career win rate overseas. He has an opportunity to make a big statement this weekend by not only earning his first win of the season but doing so on a tough track at an Elite series event against a strong field. With the European Open just one week away, there’s no better time for McBeth to get back to his winning ways.
4. Anthony Barela just picked up his 4th win of the season in Des Moines and mentioned in his post-round interview that the European Open is the only thing on his mind. While Barela still has one more week to wait for that event, Krokhol should provide him with a good opportunity to hit some tighter gaps. Those reps will be useful on The Monster in Tampere, which will be utilized for the first two rounds of this year’s European Open. It’s becoming ever apparent that the Player of the Year race will likely come down to Barela and Gannon Buhr, who currently has one less win than Barela but is averaging a 1052 event rating and an average finish of 4.6 at E.S. and Majors this season. Buhr is making his first trip to Europe and had all of the momentum on his side prior to Barela’s win at the DMC. If this race stays as tight as it’s been, their performances on the European swing could be a large factor in who the media and fans choose to vote for this fall.
The Course
Krokhol Disc Golf Course, located near Oslo, Norway, was established in 2018 through extensive volunteer effort. The track sits on a former golf course and has rapidly gained acclaim as one of the top courses in the world. In fact, Krokhol currently sits at #1 on UDisc’s list of the world’s top disc golf courses. Nestled amidst breathtaking scenery, the course offers rolling hills, varying elevations, and several water carries in a layout that combines both open and wooded spaces.
While there are plenty of birdie opportunities on the course, Krokhol is a challenge from start to finish, concluding with a small par 4 island green hosting a pair of hazard bunkers on the short and far sides of the basket. Hole 8 is the most challenging on the property, averaging more than a stroke over par. The hole requires a long straight tee shot that penetrates a narrow gap to set up a lengthy second shot that must fade hard into the wooded green late in its flight in order to earn a look at birdie. In last year’s event, par on the MPO layout earned a 1007 PDGA rating while par on the FPO layout came in at 942.
2023/2024 MPO: 2,868 Meters/9,409 Feet Par 62
2023/2024 FPO: 2,372 Meters/7,782 Feet Par 64
Extended Forecast
Some light rain showers are likely throughout the weekend. Winds should be light to moderate with comfortable temperatures.
Friday: Partly cloudy with highs in the lower 70s. Winds 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with afternoon showers, highs in the mid 70s. Winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 55%.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with intermittent showers early, highs in the mid 60s. Winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
