Allen Battles Back for Lead as Pierce Closes In

The second round of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open was anything but dull as Catrina Allen and Paige Pierce engaged in a fierce battle for the lead. While Allen managed to snag the top spot with a 2-under par 64, Pierce's even-par 66 saw her move into second place just one stroke behind.

Allen started the day strong, collecting birdies early on, but also missing opportunities to score. She struggled to capitalize on two excellent shots on the par 5 sixth hole, which ultimately cost her two strokes. However, she turned things around with a birdie on the tenth hole and continued to push through the rest of the round.

Pierce, on the other hand, was aggressive from the start, but also faced challenges throughout the day. Her long backhand turnover drive on the signature 15th hole came up short, forcing her to make an approach from under a large bush. She eventually missed the par-saving putt from 50 feet and fell behind Allen.

The two competitors each carded bogeys on the 12th hole and scrambled with ease on the 14th after their tee shots found early trees. However, it was on the 16th hole that Allen's backhand roller game paid off, leaving her with an easy up and down for a birdie putt.

"I feel like I'm not doing anything amazing," Allen said in an interview. "Just there were four holes in a row on the front nine where I didn't get up and down where I would normally get up and down or I missed the putt."

As the day wore on, Pierce continued to push hard, but ultimately fell short of taking the lead. She nearly pin-high off the tee on the final hole and expertly tossed her jump-putt approach to 20 feet, only to see her birdie putt high and chain out.

Sarah Hokom and Lisa Fajkus traded third place throughout the round, with Hokom eventually taking a narrow lead going into the final hole. However, Fajkus hit a clutch birdie putt from outside the circle on the 17th hole, moving back into contention.

As the competition heads into its final day, Allen is focused on continuing to put herself in position to scramble for par when needed and not worrying about how close or far off the competition is. "I feel like I have to keep doing what I'm doing, because it's going to go back and forth because I feel like almost every hole is birdieable for us," she said.

Hokom, on the other hand, is hoping the good vibes continue during the final round as she looks to work her way up the leaderboard. "It was fun," she exclaimed. "Our group was really lighthearted and just hanging out playing golf together. We had a nice little gallery, so that was good, and we had some lead changes there, some separation."

When asked what she'd be doing on the evening before the final round, Hokom revealed her support for Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor, who was set to face off against Floyd Mayweather in a high-profile bout. "Go McGregor!" she exclaimed, before quickly adding: "It's going to be a battle tomorrow."

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/pfdo/2017/fpo-round-2-recap