Salonen leads European Open opener as Estonia’s Jurčíková shines

Tallinn’s European Open looked like a continental statement from the first round, not just another stop for the sport’s biggest names. At the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, the 2026 PDGA European Open opened June 18 with European players and local names stacked into the conversation, right where a Major in Estonia should feel most alive.

Eveliina Salonen set the pace in FPO with a 1037-rated 9-under round, good enough to sit alone at the top after day one and position herself for a return to lead card. Missy Gannon followed at 7-under, Anniken Kristiansen Steen was third at 6-under, and 15-year-old Kristýna Jurčíková of Czechia held fourth at 5-under, a breakout placement that gave the division a distinctly European edge. Ella Hansen rounded out the top five at 4-under. The opening card told the story the event wanted: established contenders up front, but also a teenager from Czechia forcing her way into the spotlight.

The scoreboard also delivered a home-country jolt. Keiti Tätte aced hole 8 from 328 feet, or 100 meters, a shot that brought a local highlight to a round already defined by aggressive scoring. In a tournament being staged at a venue that has become a symbol of Estonian national spirit, the ace fit the day’s tone: loud, local, and hard to ignore.

The same pattern showed up in MPO, where Gannon Buhr authored the round of the day with an 11-under, 1093-rated opener. Ricky Wysocki was right behind him at 10-under, but the more telling detail was the movement underneath them. The next lead card was set to feature players from four different opening-day tee times, which said as much about the depth of the field as it did about the scoring conditions. Roland Kõur and Tallinn local Ville Kivisilla gave Estonia two names to rally around, and Kõur added his own exclamation point with an ace on hole 15 from 312 feet, or 95 meters.

The venue matters here. The European Open is being played June 18-21 as part of the European Disc Golf Festival, which runs June 16-21, and organizers are billing it as Europe’s only PDGA Major in 2026. PDGA lists it as one of just four Majors worldwide, and the Song Festival Grounds carry weight beyond disc golf, with a history tied to massive public gatherings and Estonia’s peaceful push for independence. That backdrop matched the leaderboard: Salonen’s control in FPO and Buhr’s low score in MPO showed the course could be attacked, but the local aces and Jurčíková’s rise made the opening round feel unmistakably European.