Frisbee golf | Niklas Anttila, 20, is making a big splash in the United States – leading a major frisbee golf tournament

Niklas Anttila leads the US Open Frisbee Golf Championship (USDGC) after two rounds. The Finn is a superstar at 15 under par By Ricky Wysock and only 17 years old Jack Monnin with.

The 20-year-old from Kuopio finished 64th in the World Championships at the beginning of September, but his self-confidence has not been shaken.

“I have played a really confident game. Throwing has felt easy, and I haven’t doubted my own throws.”

Instead, the performances of other Finns have fluctuated. Väinö Mäkelä is halfway 14 throws away, which justifies 48 instead. Tuomas Hyytiäinen, Joona Heinänen, Jesse Nieminen mixed Kristian Kuoksa are further away and the combined results are more than a pair.

Recent world champion, 17-time major winner Paul McBeth lurks, despite several failures, only three throws away from the top three.

The winner of the competition will win Finnish time on the night between Sunday and Monday.

USDGC is played annually in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and the major tournament, which is always thrown on the same track, is sometimes valued in the sport as high as the World Championships.

The closest point of comparison would be the golf Masters tournament, as old champions also have a lifetime right to participate in the USDGC, which bypasses the strict qualifying screening.

Jussi Meresmaan the fourth place from 2010 is the best Finnish ranking in the history of the competition so far. Anttila believes that he can score better.

“I know that victory is also possible. The goal is to continue to play safe without taking big risks, because the track bites if you are even a little off to the side.”

Frisbee golf uses a lot of OB areas (out of bounds) to increase the challenge on courses with less trees. If the puck lands on the OB, a penalty throw is added to the score.

Anttila has three of them, while both Wysock and McBeth already have seven each.

In major frisbee golf competitions, only one Finn has reached the top three in the open category. Timo Pursio finished second in the European Open in 2006 and 2009, but Anttila has a chance to be the first to stand on the podium in the cradle of the sport in the United States.