Paige Pierce Jumps Into the Lead at USWDGC
Paige Pierce Jumps Into the Lead at USWDGC
Back-to-back four and a half hour rounds is enough to suck the life right out of anyone, yet the ladies here at the 2017 United States Womens Disc Golf Championships presented by Prodigy Disc finished the day with ease. They may have been a bit tired, but it didn’t stop them from having plenty of fun in the sun at Harmon Hills just outside of Johnson City, Tennessee.
The excitement began bright and early this morning with Catrina Allen and Lisa Fajkus tied at the top of the leaderboard, three strokes ahead of a four-way tie for 3rd place. Paige Pierce and Stephanie Vincent joined Catrina and Lisa on the lead card, and all but Stephanie would remain by the end of the round.
After starting with a bogey on hole 1, Catrina went on a beautiful run of pars with the occasional birdie. It wasn’t until the 17th hole where she would take her only other bogey of the round after a long backup. One last birdie on the 18th put her three ahead of Lisa on the day. Jessica Weese made a move from the chase card to take Stephanie’s spot on the lead card, finishing the round tied with Paige at two under par overall.
The sun continued to shine and the temperature increased as the women prepared for another four-hour battle at Harmon. After a quick lunch and a lot of fluids, they headed back out to the course. A gentle breeze rolled in to help keep the players cool, and the round seemed to be on pace to finish much faster than it had earlier in the day.
The front nine saw Sarah Hokom making a move from the chase card, staying bogey-free with two birdies and catching up with Lisa for the 2nd place position. Playing side-by-side with Sarah and finishing the front nine one stroke better was Val Jenkins, who’s three under par (31) allowed her to jump up significantly as well.
As the round progressed, Catrina was showing no sign of letting off the gas. Finishing the front nine bogey-free with three birdies, her lead had increased to five with only the back nine remaining. Just when it seemed as if Catrina was about to really open up the lead, Sarah Hokom went on a tear.
While Sarah racked up four back-nine birdies, Catrina racked up just the opposite, picking up bogeys on 13, 15, and 16. Now with two to go on the day, Sarah had made a comeback and tied it up with Catrina. And it didn’t end there, as Paige was also making a move and was now just one off the co-leaders as well.
Hole 17 was what made all the difference, as a double bogey carded by Sarah against a birdie by Paige put Paige at the top of the leaderboard with Catrina. When it was all said and done, another birdie on the 18th left her finishing with a scorching score of 61, six under par, to emerge as the leader. She is now one ahead of Catrina after starting the round four back with only the final round at Pine Oaks remaining.
Pine Oaks is a hybrid course designed on the front nine of the Pine Oaks Golf Course near downtown Johnson City. Like many disc golf courses built into ball golf properties, the course is significantly long. However, Pine Oaks is a truly unique piece of property for either sport, as the elevation changes are steep. With large trees lining the fairways and the Great Smoky Mountains as a backdrop, the course is as beautiful as it is difficult.
The final round begins at 9:00am sharp on Sunday morning, so make sure to stop by pdgalive.com for live scores, updates, pictures, and videos. If you’re not already subscribed to Prodigy Disc (YouTube) and The Disc Golf Guy (YouTube), do it now! Videos are already up and many more are on the way!
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