Dickerson, Bitney also take home wins across busy B-Tier slate
February 20, 2017 by Alex Colucci and Steve Hill in News with 0 comments
A bevy of Southern California’s finest disc golfers took to the world’s oldest course this weekend, and – just as he has the last six years in a row – Paul McBeth emerged victorious.
McBeth carded a shot under par for each year of the 39th Annual Wintertime Open’s existence, as his 39-under par 180 bested Seppo Paju’s second place 23-under par 196 showing by a whopping 16 strokes. A.J. Risley came in third place after an 18-under par 201 in Pasadena, as the famous Oak Grove Park was playfully dubbed “Soak Grove” after record rainfall drenched the region over the weekend. Steve Rico and Philo Brathwaite tied for fourth place with 16-under par 170s, while Bobby Musick and Chris Traven tied for sixth with 14-under par 172s.
Vanessa Van Dyken entered yesterday’s final round with a 20-shot lead and took home the women’s division crown after the only other competitor, Erin White, did not finish the event. Van Dyken netted $150 for her 20-over par 206 weekend.
McBeth played two of the B-Tier’s three rounds — and its final nine — above his rating, topping out at 1067 during the finals. He has now won the Wintertime Open in eight out of the last 10 years. He did not play the event in 2010, and his lowest finish in the Open division was fourth place in 2008.
McBeth, Risley, Rico, Brathwaite, and Musick are all slated to play this weekend’s PDGA National Tour kickoff, the Gentlemen’s Club Challenge in Henderson, Nevada.
Across the pond in Oviedo, Spain, K.J. Nybo took the win at the Open de España with a 27-under par 185 over three rounds and a final nine. The Danish champion led Martin Rotmeister by four strokes after the tournament’s two Saturday rounds, then expanded that lead to five strokes over the Esotnian pro, who finished in second place with a 22-under par 190. Spain’s Carlos Rio and Norway’s Håkon Kveseth rounded out the top three with 20-under par 192s.
In Open Women, Natalie Holloköi took the win with a 10-over par 193 over Sigrid Sandum’s 15-over par 198.
Nybo, Europe’s highest-rated professional, will make his first trip to the United States to play in the Memorial Championship next week, while Holloköi makes her first trip to the U.S. for the Glass Blown Open in April.
Jessica Weese got her first win of 2017 at the CSUMB Otter Open in Seaside, California — her third consecutive win at this annual event — by throwing a 28-over par 219. Weese begins a busy spring touring schedule later this week as she aims to defend her Gentlemen’s Club Challenge title.
Northern California pro Lewis Bitney, meanwhile, made a big comeback in Open. Bitney won by one stroke, finishing with a 6-under par 185, after finding himself in 13th place after round one of the three-round event.
In New Mexico, Tanner Cumpton took home the victory at the B-Tier Fade Station Open. The 970-rated Colorado native tossed an 18-under par 120 over the event’s two rounds, topping Sean Kapalko’s 14-under par 124 and Will Schusterick’s 13-under par 125 to collect the $685 purse. Nolan Tsingine finished in fourth place with a 12-under par 126, while Cale Leiviska’s 10-under par 128 was good for fifth place.
Sheila Kirkham secured the women’s title with a 17-over par 155 total on the weekend. Maria Diaz and Mckaila Weldon took second and third place to round out the women’s field.
The victory signified an impressive improvement for Cumpton, who came in 14th place at last year’s iteration of the event. He’ll take that good mojo – along with the rest of the players in the top 5 – to Las Vegas.
Heading to the east coast, two more B-Tiers put a cap on the weekend. First, in Jefferson, Georgia, Chris Dickerson and Josh Childs were tied for the lead after two rounds on Saturday at the Smithsonian Open, both throwing 26-under par 98s. In the final round, Dickerson came away with the win by one stroke over Childs, finishing with a 37-under par 149 total. The win was Dickerson’s fifth of 2017, and the next big tournament he’ll compete in is the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s Nick Hyde Memorial.
Jessica Hill won the Open Women’s division in a runaway, carding a final score of 11-under par 175. She played all three round above her current 895 rating as she prepares for her next event, the GCC later this week.
Finally, Travis Chumley managed to put together two rounds that were well above his rating, finishing with a 10-under par 98 to take the win by one stroke over Grady Shue in the Ballantyne Hotel Open in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lillian Pais took the women’s division with a 12-over par 128 total.
