Zandvoort, August 21st, 2009
Antti Saleva wins ELD RIWAL European Open 2009
On the second day of the Euro Longdrivers event at the Kennemer in Zandvoort worlds best Longdrivers contended for the ELD RIWAL European Open 2009 with a total prize money of € 30,000.
Again the strong wind made it impossible to hit extreme distances. The Europeans seemed to adept better to these circumstances than the Americans and scored excellent results.
The world record holder Scott Smith was one of the just two Americans who qualified for the final round and had to do so via the losers round. Vince Howell reached the final round with the largest distance of 335 meters (366 yards). But these favorites had to acknowledge the European superiority. They proved that Longdriving has become a real international sport that is no longer dominated by the Americans.
Winner of the championship was the tall blond Antti Saleva from Finland who showed that in Longdriving technique is more important than raw power.
He was the legitimate winner of the title and € 15,000. The second place was split between the European record holder Joe Miller from England and Andreas Persson from Sweden. The price ceremony was in the hands of European PGA board member Frank Kirsten and Rik Maaskant (RIWAL Hoogwerkers BV)
The complete results of the ELD RIWAL European Open 2009:
| 1 | Antti Saleva (Finland) | 318 meters (348 yards) |
| 2/3 | Joe Miller (England) | 310 meters (339 yards) |
| 2/3 | Andreas Persson (Sweden) | 310 meters (339 yards) |
| 4 | Vince Howell (USA) | 308 meters (337 yards) |
| 5 | Scott Smith (USA) | 305 meters (334 yards) |
| 6 | Stef Gresel (Netherlands) | 286 meters (313 yards) |
| 7 | Mikko Pirinen (Finland) | 283 meters (309 yards) |
| 8 | Peter Carlborg (Sweden) | 0 |
