There are many disc golf tournaments that Team Discmania’s Simon Lizotte would love to win. After a grind of four rounds last week, Lizotte can check one of those wins off his to-do list: 2018 European Disc Golf Championships.
Held in Toplice Sveti Martin, Croatia, the win marked Lizotte’s second EDGC title after winning it six years ago in Colchester, United Kingdom in 2012.
Slow Start Leads to Hot Finish
As play began Wednesday at the Spa Hills Disc Golf Course, Lizotte couldn’t quite get in the groove during the first round. With only three birdies on the front nine, Lizotte needed to rely on a stronger finish to the round in contention. When everyone was finished, Lizotte found himself in a tie for third, two shots behind the leader with his 53 (-7). The standings were tight with six others just two shots behind.
Thursday’s second round got off to a slightly better start, but Lizotte came down the stretch hotter than anyone and launched into the lead. Lizotte birdied the final six holes to shoot a 50 (-10) and found himself with a two shot advantage midway through the tournament.
With the slim lead, Lizotte needed to maintain the frequent birdies while staying out of trouble heading into the third round. He continued to play smart on the front nine before attacking the final holes. Four birdies and one eagle, combined with his first bogey-free round of the tournament, helped Lizotte extend his lead with a 51 (-9). His two shot lead extended to six with just 18 holes remaining.
Pressure was on the rest of the field as Lizotte had a cushion and didn’t show any sign of weakness in the final round. As the holes ticked away, Lizotte didn’t need to push things further than he needed to and his 54 (-6) was enough to claim the win by five.
Team Discmania at EDGC
Along with Lizotte’s win, Team Discmania saw strong finishes across four different divisions.
Open
1. Simon Lizotte (-32)
T4. Leo Piironen (-20)
12. Mikael Räsänen (-15)
22. Dominik Stampfer (-5)
Open Women
10. Anna-Sofia Haipus (+20)
Pro Masters 40+
3. Anders Swärd (-5)
9. Michael Birkelund Jensen-Johansen (+4)
12. Andreas Gertsch (+9)
Junior 18
2. Oskari Vikström (-15)