Rancho Cucamonga, CA (09 July 2008)--David Feldberg (Springfield, Oregon) and Valarie Jenkins (Hinckley, Ohio) rode their course-record performances in the men’s and women’s open divisions, respectively, to capture championships at the 2008 Japan Open Disc Golf Tournament at the Nasu Highlands Golf Resort in Tochigi, Japan June 12-14th.  This year’s Japan Open, the 13th in its prestigious history, featured the largest international field with 11 nations represented in the 104-player field.  

Feldberg kicked off the tournament with a 1065-rated round of 77, the lowest score ever recorded on the demanding 27-hold disc golf course temporarily installed on the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Nasu Highlands Resort ball golf course.  Though he was quick out of the gate, the rest of the field did their best to keep pace with the world’s number one-ranked disc golfer.  Manabu Kajiyama, from the host country, was especially up to the task, moving as close as three throws from Feldberg’s lead after Friday’s 27-hole round.  But Saturday’s windy conditions, and Feldberg’s incredible closing abilities, made getting any closer a tall task for Kajiyama.  Indeed, his three throw lead after Friday opened up to a five-throw advantage after Saturday’s semi-final round and then bulged to an 11-throw final margin of victory when the day was done.  

Kajiyama maintained his lock on the runner-up position throughout the event, strengthening his position as Japan’s top disc golfer.  Feldberg’s roommate and 2004 Japan Open titlist, Avery Jenkins, overcame a challenging Friday round to rally back for third place, while Finland’s Jussi Meresmaa battled a shoulder injury on his way to an impressive fourth-place showing.  

Valarie Jenkins successfully defended her 2006 Japan Open title with a record-setting round on Friday.  Jenkins’s 1026-rated round, tops by a woman in a PDGA Major, had many of the top pros, both men and women, shaking their heads wondering how she did it.  The answer was fairly straight-forward.  Valarie used an impressive approach game on the tournament-lengthened course to keep away from the pressures of making long putts.  That might have mattered little to Jenkins during the week, as her putting game did get her out of the infrequent trouble she encountered during the three-day event.  

Jenkins shared the lead after the first round with eventual runner-up Carrie Berlogar.  But Jenkins caught fire on Friday to blow open a ten-throw lead that was not in jeopardy for the rest of the tournament.  Playing with a great deal of confidence, Valarie seems poised for the 2008 PDGA World Championships in Kalamazoo, MI where she will defend her World Championship crown.  

Finishing behind Berlogar in third place was Anne Matilainen from Finland, who showed great patience and adaptability on the challenging course in Nasu.  Des Reading, the PDGA’s number one-ranked woman, finished fourth after battling her way into the Japan Open Finals.  

Disc golf has been played in public and private parks throughout the United States since the mid-1970s. Now found in at least thirty different nations, more than 2,600 disc golf courses provide an economical and time-effective recreational outlet for players of all ages.

The expected rain this week never became a hindrance for any of the rounds. However, the adversity for the final round today was the high winds. The wind was so extreme at times with gusts, that it just about knocked a person over. Despite that wind and the fact that players have to adjust their normal throwing technique to 150 class discs, the players also feel the presence of the professional camera crews watching their every shot.

Congratulations to both Innova Team Members!