Eveliina Salonen Wins the 2024 PDGA Pro World Championships

​ ​Eveliina Salonen has been anticipating this moment her entire life, and at last week’s 2024 PDGA Pro World Championships, she achieved her dream by earning her first World title and third PDGA Major. As the first Finnish player to win Worlds, she hails from a country with one of the most passionate and dedicated disc golf communities in the world. Needless to say, Finland is proudly celebrating her victory. Her fellow Star Team member, Kat Mertsch, made a strong push on the final day, making it one of the most memorable final rounds in recent history. Mertsch finished in 2nd place, her best result at a PDGA Major to date. In the MPO division, Calvin Heimburg tied for 4th place, and several other Innova athletes from both divisions finished in the top 20. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Innova Discs (@innovadiscs) Finland’s First World Champion Take a moment to let it sink in, Eveliina – you are now a World Champion! As a member of the Innova Star Team, Eveliina Salonen has secured her place in history as one of the greatest disc golfers of all time. She emerged victorious at the 2024 PDGA Pro World Championships after five rounds on two of the most challenging courses in recent memory. This is Eveliina’s third PDGA Major title, including her win at the 2024 Champions Cup earlier this year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eveliina Salonen (@eveliinasalonen) The final round of the FPO division at this year’s Worlds was a rollercoaster of emotions. Early on, Holyn Handley and Eveliina were neck and neck, trading strokes on nearly every hole. However, Handley eventually fell behind, and it was Kat Mertsch who made a strong push forward. Each top competitor had their moments of brilliance and struggles, but Eveliina maintained her composure and ultimately clinched the victory. Eveliina admits that it was a challenging week on the putting green, but her exceptional throwing skills gave her a significant advantage over the rest of the field. She led the tournament in C1 Hits and C2 Hits in Regulation and had an impressive Strokes Gained Tee to Green of 41.44, far surpassing the 2nd place score of 28.14. She also had one of the lowest out-of-bounds rates in the field. For her win, Eveliina received a $17,000 payout, the largest in FPO Worlds history. This season has undoubtedly been the best of Eveliina’s career, with two PDGA Major wins (including the coveted World title) and two Disc Golf Pro Tour victories. She also placed 2nd and 4th at the other two Majors and has only missed the top 10 at one DGPT event all year. She also won the Finnish Nationals, earning her 5th National Championship title. While the race for Player of the Year is still up in the air, Eveliina is undoubtedly a top contender. In the MPO division, the USDGC and Worlds carry equal weight, but in the FPO division, the World title stands alone as the most prestigious and coveted title to win. With her impressive skills and determination, Eveliina has solidified her place as a true champion in the world of disc golf.