Allen Leads Masters Cup After Breathtaking Round in Santa Cruz
Date Published
The Santa Cruz Masters Cup has been a stronghold for many top players, but none have dominated like Catrina Allen. The three-time champion knows the ins and outs of DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course, and it showed in her masterful play on Friday morning. Despite starting with a double bogey on hole two, Allen remained composed, crediting mental toughness as the key to success.
"It's just a battle," she said after maintaining an even keel throughout the round. "You can 4 it, you can 2 it on almost every hole -- or 5 it -- and I feel like forgetting is the key, just going to the next teepad and resetting."
Allen's impressive performance included two birdies, one of which came at the 13th hole, a challenging 550-foot par 3 known as "I-5." She executed a precise backhand skip approach, putting her in tap-in range. On the sixth hole, Allen made an incredible deuce, showcasing her exceptional skill.
Her accuracy on the green has been a game-changer this season, with 90 percent of her circle 1 attempts landing successfully. "It kinda takes that pressure off of not having to put it five feet on your upshots," she explained. "That's one less thing in your head."
Camille Skweir, a 28-year-old from Northern California, impressed despite struggling with accuracy off the tee. However, her exceptional putting skills and ability to scramble helped her stay competitive, finishing tied for second place at 2-over par.
Other notable performances came from Paige Bjerkaas, the 2018 PDGA World Champion, who finished at 3-over par, and five-time world champion Elaine King, sitting in fifth place with a score of 4-over. Defending Masters Cup champ Paige Pierce and three other players are tied for sixth place with 6-over par scores.
The field is set to face DeLa again on Saturday morning, with the lead card teeing off at 11:20 a.m. The UDisc Live will provide live scoring and statistics, while Central Coast Disc Golf will offer next-day video coverage.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/its-just-battle-allen-rebounds-masters-cup-lead