Allen in second after also cresting four digits
June 10, 2017 by Alex Colucci in Recap with 0 comments
It didn’t take long for Paige Pierce to get back on top of the Open Women’s division after leaving last week’s Utah Open early due to a family emergency. Now, with 36 holes left to play at the Beaver State Fling, she’ll have to figure out how to stay there. If two more rounds of 1000 plus-rated golf are in the cards, then another win is all but assured.
Pierce’s first round 3-under par 58 at Milo McIver’s Riverbend East Course was rated at 1009 and gave her the lead heading into round two. Her 1-under par 60 performance at the West Course, rated at 1007, moved her to a 4-under par 118 total, six strokes ahead Catrina Allen. The dual 1000 plus-rated rounds were Pierce’s 12th and 13th such rounds of the season.
Allen finished her first round with a 1001-rated 2-under par 59, which had her just one stroke back from Pierce heading into round two. Allen’s second round, though, could not maintain Pierce’s pace, as she threw a 4-over par 65 to move her to a 2-over par 124 total. The 1001-rated round was Allen’s sixth round over four digits this season.
Valarie Jenkins moved into third place after a 2-over par 63 second round brought her total to a 7-over par 129. A pair of 4-over par 65s has Sarah Hokom in fourth place at an 8-over par 130.
Pierce, who kicked off the shotgun start round from hole 2, got off to a strong start in round one on the East Course, snagging four birdies through the first nine holes of her round to one bogey. She would go on to collect one more birdie and one bogey to finish out the last nine, staying one stroke ahead of Allen.
Allen began her round on hole 4 with a birdie, and quickly collected two more over the next five holes. A run of seven straight pars was interrupted by a bogey on hole 17 before she parred out to finish her first 18.
Both competitors struggled out of the gates on the West Course to open round two. Pierce carded a double bogey 6 to Allen’s bogey 5 on the difficult 630-foot opening hole, and the pair were tied. But Pierce didn’t let the first hole jitters stick with her. As conditions worsened through the second round, with rain and wind picking up, Pierce quickly widened her lead.
Pierce birdied holes 2 and 3, and got two more on 6 and 7 to move five strokes clear of Allen after she took five pars and one bogey over the same stretch. Over the final 11 holes, Pierce was one over par, while Allen’s two bogeys found her dropping another stroke to finish out the first day of competition.
Pierce and Allen revisit the East Course, the site of their first round 1000-plus performances, during round three today. Though there is half of the event left to play, the pair have distanced themselves from the field considerably: Pierce is already 11 shots ahead of third place, while Allen holds a five-shot cushion.
Pierce, Allen, Jenkins, and Hokom begin their third round at 12:30 p.m. Pacific, while Lisa Fajkus, Melody Waibel, Jessica Weese and Ellen Widboom tee off 10 minutes earlier on the chase card. Follow live scoring at PDGA Live, and watch for filmed rounds from the Women’s Open division on Jomez Productions.
