Beaver State Fling Takes Flight with Thrilling Round One
Date Published
The 2023 Beaver State Fling, presented by Keen Footwear, began its thrilling journey under sunny skies on Friday at the picturesque Milo McIver State Park in Estacada, Oregon. Located just a stone's throw away from Portland, this scenic park has earned a reputation as a must-play destination for serious disc golf enthusiasts.
The event, known for its exceptional quality and consistency, owes its success to the tireless efforts of the Stumptown Disc Golf Club and the loyal support of local sponsors Keen Footwear, Next Adventure, and others. The beautiful twin Riverbend courses at Milo McIver Park provided the perfect backdrop for round one, with 76 Open division competitors vying for top honors.
The West Course, stretching over 8,511 feet with a par of 61, proved to be a formidable challenge for the pros. Nate Doss and Will Schusterick set the pace early on, posting a scorching -10 rating to take an early lead over Kyle Crabtree's -9. Philo Brathwaite continued his impressive form from last week's High Plains Challenge victory, carding a respectable -8 to join the lead pack, with several others at -8 nipping at their heels.
Meanwhile, on the East Course, Sarah Hokom asserted her dominance in the Open Ladies division, carding an even-par round of 61 to take the lead. Catrina Allen posted a +1, Paige Pierce a +2, and Des Reading a +3 to create a closely contested leaderboard heading into round two.
After lunch, the Open men shifted to the East Course, where Tim Skellenger fired a blistering -10 on the par-61 layout to join the lead pack at -18. Nate Doss and Will Schusterick both carded a -8 to maintain their position, while Dave Feldberg slipped to -16.
In the Open Ladies division, Catrina Allen continued her stellar play with a 1003-rated -1 round on the West Course, pulling back to even par for the day and a five-throw lead over Sarah Hokom. Val Jenkins shot even-par to move into a tie for third place at +6 with Paige Pierce.
The Masters division saw Phil Arthur leading at -5, with Jon Baldwin, Patrick Brown, James Hagen, and Mike Niemi all two throws back at -3. In the Grandmasters division, Jim Oates' -7 gave him a four-throw lead over Rick Bailey, while Tom Bontempo (+20) led the Senior Grandmaster division by two throws over Bruce Sisson (+22).
The event is set to nearly double in size on Saturday when 141 amateur competitors join the 152 professionals at Milo McIver Park. The tournament format will change from a shotgun start to tee times, and exciting activities like the Oregon-based JD Platt's K-9 Kings Flying Dog Show, disc golf Flymart, putting and long drive contests, Sweet Plastic's epic mini disc golf course, and the Beaver State Fling's massive fundraiser raffle will kick into high gear.
The Beaver State Fling is the fourth event of the PDGA National Tour Elite Series presented by Vibram Disc Golf. Paul McBeth and Valarie Jenkins currently lead the NT standings in their respective divisions, making a third NT victory this season crucial to securing the series title.
Stay tuned to PDGA.com for all the latest updates, results, video highlights, and live scoring throughout the weekend.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/bsf-tees-off-0