That's it, after more than a year of waiting and 3 postponements, the Swiss Disc Golf Championships were finally able to take place at Les Evaux on this national holiday weekend.
To mark the occasion, a rather selective 15 basket course had been set up by the Disc Golf Geneva team. The Belvedere Hall, overlooking fairway n°15 reminding some players of the Swiss Open, last held in 2012.
The competition began with the Doubles on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, only two Mixed Doubles teams were present, and therefore the Double Open category was the only one to be played. This competition was an opportunity for all 25 teams (undoubtedly a record !!!) to discover the format of the Modified Alternate shot, used at the World Team Championships.
After 15 baskets, Lukas Schär and Christophe Schlegel won with a score of 44 (-4), thanks in particular to 7 birdies. In second place, two teams were tied: Emile Barbe and Yannick Fernandez, as well as David Hüsler and Luca Hitz. A playoff was played on hole No. 15 to decide the silver and bronze medals. In this game, Yannick Fernandez and Emile Barbe won their 2nd consecutive silver medal.
Now it's time for singles competitions, with 3 rounds of 15 baskets and a final of 9 baskets for the best players in each category.
The performance of the first round is to be attributed to Luke Ferro, with a remarkable 53 (+5, 894 rating) from the top of his 9 years. In the Open category, Taavi Kask, who has been living in Geneva for 18 months, takes the lead in the competition with a solid 41 (-7, 1031 rating). In the other categories, Tabea Wallus (FPO), Samuel Baumgartner (MP40), Karin Rubin (FP40), Peter Hüsler (MP50), Werner Kuster (MP60) took the lead after the first round.
The second round will signal the awakening of the favorites in the MPO category. Tony Ferro and Lukas Schär scored a 42 (-6), took the first 2 places in the standings and were separated by only 1 stroke at the end of the first day. In the FPO, Tabea Wallus continued her dominance with a second round at 45 (-3, 980 rating). In MP40, Samuel Baumgartner finished the day without a bogey !!! He has a 6-shot lead over Christof Schlegel, his closest pursuer.
The fight is close in the FP40 categories between Iris Beyeler Ferro and Karin Rubin, MP50 between Paul Francz and Christophe Robert-Nicoud, and MJ18 between Dominik Jörger and Luke Ferro. In MP60, Werner Kuster soars to the top of the rankings, but the fight is very close between the 2nd and 5th place with only 4 strokes of gap.
The second day of competition will crown the Swiss Champions on this National Day:
In DFO, Tony Ferro defends his title acquired in Bern in 2019 by signing a new course record (40, -8). He is ahead of Lukas Schär and Taavi Kask. However, due to the rules used for the Swiss Championships, David Hüsler won a bronze medal for his first participation in the Swiss Championships.
In the OPS, Tabea Wallus won with a score of -10, almost enough for a medal in DFO. Mélanie Meuter and Mena Leuenberger completed the podium.
In MP40, Samuel Baumgartner brilliantly defends his lead gained the day before to win his first gold medal at a Swiss Championship. He was followed by Christof Schlegel and Lars Jaeger.
In FP40, Karin Rubin won the medal after an intense battle with Iris Beyeler Ferro. A remarkable performance, only one year after a serious knee injury. Julia Burkhardt won the bronze medal.
In MP50, Paul Francz celebrates his birthday in the best way by winning the gold medal. Christophe Robert-Nicoud and Bernard Kaeser accompanied him on the podium.
In MP60, Werner Kuster won by a wide margin while the battle for second place continued until the last basket. In the end, Fritz Hürzeler won the silver medal, with the bronze medal going to Daniel Farine.
In MJ18, Dominik Jörger wins after a well-controlled day. He is ahead of Luke Ferro and Lino Tresch.
Congratulations to all the medalists!!!
Disc Golf Geneva would like to thank:
• All players for their patience and flexibility regarding the holding of the event
• The Fondation des Evaux for its support during the organization of the tournament and for the provision of infrastructure
• The Swiss Disc Golf Association for its assistance in many areas
• Volunteers (kitchen, installation of the course) for their availability
The eyes are now on the Czech Republic for the European Championships. Of course, we wish our national team success.
Tournament Report: Emile Barbe (TD)
