Maple Hill bit the defending PDGA world champion hard yesterday, just as it has in the past
June 25, 2016 by Steve Hill and John Klimp in Analysis with 1 comments
The nine stroke swing between Paul McBeth’s first two rounds at the Vibram Open was notable not only for causing him to tumble down the leaderboard, but also for seeing the defending world champion scrawl a plus sign next to his total. By missing numerous fairways and carding five bogeys during yesterday’s second round, it was the rare occasion when the PDGA’s top-ranked player – at a 1-over 61 for the day – ended up on the wrong side of par.
But how unique was the showing for a player who is known as otherworldly? Ultiworld Disc Golf Metrics and Research Analyst John Klimp combed through all of McBeth’s available round data from 2014 to the present to find the last time he carded a round over par: last year’s Maple Hill Open. During the event’s final round – which featured an epic battle that saw Ricky Wysocki triumph over McBeth and Gregg Barsby – McBeth shot a 3-over par 63 at the same course that bit him yesterday.
In 97 rounds of available data since 2014, McBeth has shot at par or over in seven of them:
| Tournament | Date | Round | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas States Championships | March 23, 2014 | 3 | E |
| Maple Hill Open | July 4, 2014 | 2 | +3 |
| United States Disc Golf Championships | October 3, 2014 | 3 | +2 |
| United States Disc Golf Championships | October 4, 2014 | 4 | E |
| Maple Hill Open | June 28, 2015 | 4 | +3 |
| Brent Hambrick Memorial Open | August 16, 2015 | 4 | E |
| Vibram Open | June 24, 2016 | 2 | +1 |
While scoring at par or worse in a mere 7.2 percent of his rounds over the past two and a half seasons is a heroic feat, McBeth went on to win only one of those tournaments: the 2015 Brent Hambrick Memorial Open, where his even-par showing during the Final 9 came after he had amassed a five stroke lead over Wysocki and Bradley Williams. That, combined with his recent history at Maple Hill, makes the rest of the weekend an uphill battle.
Let’s not forget, though, that McBeth owns the Maple Hill course record, which he set with a searing 15-under par 45 during the final round of the 2013 Vibram Open. It might be a good time for him to turn back the clock.
