Birdies Abound as First Round of Green Mountain Championship Heats Up

The inaugural round of the Green Mountain Championship presented by Discraft was filled with excitement, as top players showcased their skills on the challenging courses at Smugglers' Notch Resort. While no eagles or aces were achieved, birdies were abundant, with some competitors putting up impressive streaks that left spectators in awe.

For men's leader Eric Oakley, a remarkable seven consecutive birdies on holes four through ten was the highlight of his 12-under-par performance. Oakley's putts from around the basket were nearly unbeatable, with him successfully sinking 93% of his circle one attempts and an impressive 100% of his circle two tries. His closest competitor, Michael Johansen, also had a remarkable day, birdieing holes four through eleven and connecting on 94% of his circle one putts.

Paige Pierce, who is tied for first place with Sarah Hokom at 5-under-par, demonstrated her own impressive skills with five consecutive birdies on holes eight through twelve. This streak included two "park jobs" on holes nine and ten, where Pierce was able to tap in for birdie with ease. However, Pierce's putter struggled at times, missing three of her connections from inside circle one and none of her four circle two attempts.

A closer look at the UDisc hole stats revealed that Brewster Ridge proved to be a challenging course for men, particularly on holes 15 and two, which played .33 and .32 strokes above par respectively. In contrast, the short hole six was a must-get birdie, with 64% of the field achieving it.

At Fox Run, the women faced a tougher challenge, with the course playing a full six strokes over par. Hole seven, measuring 1115 feet, was particularly problematic, with zero birdies and numerous bogeys, double bogeys, and higher scores recorded. The women's must-get birdie came in the form of a par four on hole 13, where 50% of the field successfully took the three.

Bogeys were scarce for top competitors, but Paige Pierce and Sarah Hokom both carded double bogeys on the same hole – the 445-foot, par-three hole five at Fox Run. Both women threw out-of-bounds, making this a crucial hole to watch in future rounds.

For those chasing the title, Ricky Wysocki's lone blemish on his scorecard came when he threw OB on hole two, leaving him three strokes behind the leaders. The men and women will swap courses for round two, with live action commencing at 2:30 pm ET from the Green Mountain Championship presented by Discraft.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/birdies-par-and-bogeys-first-round-gmc