Barsby Seizes Control at PDGA World Championships with Thrilling 9-Under Round

The sun-kissed greens of Fox Run Meadows in Vermont were abuzz with excitement on Friday, as the world's top disc golfers battled it out for supremacy in round three of the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships. And it was Gregg Barsby who stole the show, firing a stunning 9-under par 54 to seize control at the top of the leaderboard.

As he traversed the challenging course, Barsby's California cool remained firmly intact, even when faced with a bogey-birdie-bogey opening that could have derailed his momentum. But the veteran pro took it in stride, remarking that "at that point I knew that's about as much bad luck as I can get, and I'm only four holes into the round." Showing remarkable poise, he regrouped and rattled off six birdies in the next eight holes, leaving a trail of impressed onlookers in his wake.

The crowd's "Barsbarians" – a nickname coined by Barsby himself – were over the moon with their hero's performance, chanting "We love you, Barsby!" as he made his way down the fairway. The affection was clearly reciprocated, with Barsby confessing that "it's so nice to have friends in the crowd that genuinely want to see you do well."

Barsby wasn't the only one to make waves on Friday, however. Paul Ulibarri, the tournament's second-place leader, found a hot putter down the stretch and maintained his position at 27-under par. Meanwhile, Nikko Locastro carded an impressive eight birdies on the back nine to close the gap with Barsby, while four-time world champion Paul McBeth struggled to find his rhythm and slipped to third place.

In other action, Josh Anthon rode a strong day off the tee to an easy 10-under par round, propelling himself up the leaderboard into a tie for third. Fellow Northern California pro Matt Orum also turned in a blistering performance, canning a 75-footer on his way to a 9-under par effort and catapulting himself into a tie for sixth place.

As the tournament enters its final stretch, Barsby will look to maintain his lead at Brewster Ridge, a course that suits his game better than Fox Run. The veteran pro remains focused, stating that "I had a couple weasley shots out there two days ago, so maybe just hit the fairways a little bit cleaner." With the Open Lead card teeing off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET, fans can watch the action unfold live via SamshBoxxTV.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/crowd-hero-barsby-jumps-first-pro-worlds