11 players are within four strokes of the lead
March 28, 2021 by Cameron Guidry in Recap with 0 comments
TYLER, Texas — Conditions worsened and rain fell during moving day at the 2021 Texas State Disc Golf Championships, and there was plenty of shifting happening up and down the leaderboard as the tough Dogwood course kept scores tight. Here’s a look at what happened on Saturday:
- Hailey King followed up a great initial trip through Dogwood with another solid round on day two. Although she finished with a score at even par, her round was filled with consistent play that saw her often dialing back on her trademark power to focus on hitting her lines. She still had the distance to nab an eagle on Hole 3, draining a putt from Circle 2 that was every bit of 50 feet. King also showed plenty of poise around the green, boasting 2nd in the field in C1X strokes gained. While her round today wasn’t dominant, expect King to play her steady and unwavering game where others attempt to come out firing, and attempt to ride her slim lead to a tournament victory.
- Day 1 leader Rebecca Cox came away wanting more after her second round, conceding her lead along with several bogeys through a tough front nine. Cox seemed to stick to her game plan and continued her accuracy off the tee, hitting a field-leading 79% of fairways, but putting woes kept her from succeeding on Day 2. No Circle 2 makes on five attempts and only 42% C1X putting were the main blemish on her stat sheet, but despite a +4 round, Cox remains in the hunt just two strokes back of King.
- Catrina Allen was the competitor who put the “moving” in moving day. Coming from the chase card, Allen played stellar golf, overcoming three double bogeys on the day to shoot -1 and take control of solo second place. Despite getting off the fairway and needing some difficult scramble stats, Allen’s putt was connecting today, and she’s one of the most dangerous players in the division when her short game is falling.
- Sarah Hokom, Missy Gannon, and the Mandujano sisters posted the hot rounds of the day and vaulted themselves into contention for the final round. The common thread? Plenty of birdies. With the course offering lots of pitfalls and every player struggling to stay completely clean, building a buffer to stay below par is essential, and the best scorecards featured plenty of birdies to offset the impending unlucky bounces.
- Sunday is projecting much more significant wind that Saturday’s affair, so higher scores may be in order. Keep an eye out for the 13th green, which is right next to a road and more exposed than most of the rest of the course. The Disc Golf Network broadcast tagged it as a hole to watch, and an extra dose of wind is sure to amplify the pressure on the putting green.
Heard
“I’m just a little less aggressive. I’m actually a lot more positive when it’s raining because you’re going to have a lot of errant shots, and I’m expecting it this time.” — Hailey King on playing in wet conditions
Highlights
Hailey King Circle 2 Putt on Hole 3
Hailey King Circle 2 Putt on Hole 3
Catrina Allen scramble and circle 2 birdie putt on Hole 13
