Aderhold's lead trimmed to one; Lehtomaki ties Scoggins
August 2, 2025 by Josh Mansfield in News, Recap
Nearly three decades separates the FPO co-leaders after the conclusion of round 3 of the PDGA Pro World Championships. Ohn Scoggins (age 44), the five-time Masters World Champion, held on to a share of the lead she earned yesterday. Iida Lehtomaki (age 15), the two-time and reigning FJ15 Finnish Champion, charmed the home crowd on her way to a four-under par round to share the lead at 10-under par. The two leaders enjoyed the enthusiasm of the more than 2,000 spectators who showed up at the Tampere Disc Golf Center. Laughing, waving, and interacting with the crowd, Ohn and Iida put on a show that paired well with the spectacular play both displayed.
All eyes now turn to the Beast, where players whose game sets up better for the long, open FPO layout are hoping to make up lost ground. Henna Blomroos sits two strokes back, and if she can gain ground, she will be a serious threat come Sunday. Silva Saarinen had another middling day but played well enough to keep herself in contention. She played much better at the Beast back in round one, and her recent wins and experience make her a serious contender, despite being six strokes back of the leader.
While the path to victory is a narrow one, Kat Mertsch, Ella Hansen, and Eveliina Salonen all are on the chase card and will look to utilize their serious distance advantages over the lead card (excluding Henna) to push the pace. If the lead card falters, expect a crowded leaderboard going into championship Sunday.
Lightning didn’t strike twice in MPO. Ezra Aderhold, a day after shooting a spectacular course record 14-under, saw his lead diminish to a one stroke advantage over Niklas Anttila and two strokes over Gannon Buhr. Ezra has to be pleased going back to the Beast, where he does play well and can really open up on distance lines. But signs of pressure materialized today. Ezra missed two circle one putts in the back nine, including a 13 foot gimme, and an edge of circle putt that hit the ground before getting to the basket. Meanwhile, Anttila dazzled with an 8-under while Buhr shot the seven under that he felt he needed to stay in contention going into the Beast. Despite Aderhold’s lead, Buhr and Anttila are considered the favorites to win this tournament.
Two other names managed to keep it close to the current podium. Aaron “Goose” Gossage shot a hot round 10-under to move onto lead card, tied with Sullivan Tipton, who struggled a bit but managed to hang on to his game to go into Thursday at 23-under. Both are certainly eager to use their forehand on the more wooded holes that many feel are well suited to the righty forehand/lefty backhand shot shape.
Quick Hits
– In an interview after the FPO round, tournament director Tapani Aulu shared that with Niklas near the top and cooler weather, they are optimistic that Sunday spectator numbers will clear the 10,000 mark. The Tampere Disc Golf Center was completely sold out with the more than 2,000 spectators each of the past two days.
– World ranked number one Kristin Lätt has officially DNF’d. After indicating in an interview after the first round that she might not be able to complete the tournament, Kristin chose to take the time to rest after shooting a four over par, putting her 17 strokes off of the lead. More to come in a follow up article.
– The weather was ideal today. Tournament organizers are hopeful that further rain delays can be avoided.
