Here’s a look at the top FPO storylines headed into this weekend…
1️⃣ Eveliina Salonen Arrives at Ale on a Roll
Eveliina Salonen enters the 2026 Ale Open as one of the hottest players on Tour, carrying momentum from back-to-back podium finishes that include her victory at the PDGA European Open. Over her last four Tour starts, she has reached the podium three times with two wins, and she nearly added another title at the Swedish Open before falling to Silva Saarinen in a dramatic four-hole playoff. Salonen also carded the FPO hot round in Sweden at 10-under, further proving that her game is firing on all cylinders. With defending champion Silva Saarinen absent from this year’s field, the door is open for Salonen to capitalize.
Statistically, Salonen has been one of the most complete players in the FPO division this season. She currently sits 6th in the DGPT Powerball World Standings while leading the Tour in both parked percentage at 12.96% and C1 in regulation at 49.31%, highlighting just how dominant she has been off the tee. Combined with the improved putting she has displayed over the past two events, she enters Ale as a serious championship threat whenever every part of her game comes together. This will also be her first competitive experience at Ale Disc Golf Center, the world’s top-ranked course and future home of the 2027 European Open, making this an important opportunity to build familiarity at a venue where she could soon be defending a Major title.
2️⃣ Americans Look to Break Through at Ale
Missy Gannon enters the Ale Open searching for a breakthrough that her season statistics suggest is only a matter of time. After finishing 6th at the Swedish Open, she led the field in both C1 putting at 93% (51-for-55) and strokes gained putting at 7.12, continuing a season in which she has been one of the Tour’s most reliable players on the green. Gannon also leads the entire FPO field in C1X putting at 85.17% and has yet to finish outside the top 8 in any of her 10 Tour starts this season. Surprisingly, that remarkable consistency has not yet translated into either a podium finish or a victory, leaving her still in search of her first Tour win of 2026. With four Tour victories in 2025, six in 2024, and a win at the 2024 European Disc Golf Festival, Gannon has proven she can win both consistently and overseas. As the second-highest rated player in the field and 4th in the DGPT Powerball World Standings, Ale could be the perfect opportunity to extend her streak of winning at least one Tour event every season since 2021.
Holyn Handley arrives at Ale as the highest-rated player in the field at 987 and the current leader of the DGPT Powerball World Standings. Like Gannon, this will be just her second career Tour event in Sweden after a strong 4th-place finish at last week’s Swedish Open. Already a two-time Tour winner this season, Handley has continued to separate herself as one of the most complete players in the FPO division. She also carries proven European success into the week after capturing the 2025 Krokhol Open, making her one of the leading favorites to add another international victory before the Tour shifts its focus to the upcoming PDGA United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship.
3️⃣ Europe’s Young Stars Take Center Stage
A new generation of European talent continues to make its presence felt, and the Ale Open presents another opportunity for several rising stars to build on their breakthrough seasons. Matilda Ringbom enters on the heels of the best Tour finish of her career after earning 3rd place at the Swedish Open, her first career Tour podium. She was also the only player in the FPO field to avoid an out-of-bounds stroke all weekend, showcasing remarkable composure under pressure. That performance vaulted her 13 spots to 44th in the DGPT Powerball World Standings and 6th in the DGPT Europe Standings after finishing 15th last season. With home-country support and prior experience at Ale following a 14th-place finish in 2025, Ringbom will once again be one of the featured names to watch.
Iida Lehtomäki returns to competition after skipping the Swedish Open and arrives well rested with two top-10 finishes in three Tour starts this season, including 5th at the PDGA Champions Cup and 9th at the European Open. Her impressive 2025 campaign featured four top-10 finishes in five Tour events, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the PDGA Pro World Championships, and she narrowly missed the podium at Ale last year with a 4th-place finish.
Sintija Klezberga has quietly become one of Europe’s most consistent players, bringing consecutive top-10 finishes into the week after placing 6th at the European Open and 8th at the Swedish Open. Already with five top-10 finishes in seven Tour events this season after recording just one in all of 2025, she continues to trend upward despite a 17th-place finish here last year.
Rounding out the group is Julia Fors, who broke through with her first Tour podium at the European Open before finishing 15th at the Swedish Open. Back on home soil, Fors returns to one of her most familiar venues, where she has competed in five sanctioned events during her PDGA career and captured three victories, including the 2023 Swedish Amateur Championship, making her a strong bounce-back candidate this week.