Catrina Allen's Strong Round Keeps Her Tied at Top in Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open

The first round of the 2017 Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open has come to a close, and it's been an exciting day for disc golf enthusiasts. Two of the highest-rated players in the Open Women's division have tied at the top of the leaderboard: Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen. Both women shot impressive 8-under par 58s, leaving them neck and neck heading into the second round.

Catrina Allen spoke about her relief at playing on a more open course after last week's tight Idlewild Disc Golf Course. "It felt a little more relaxed," she said, noting that Moraine State Park provided a welcome change of pace from the usual tightly-packed fairways. Pierce and Allen both got off to strong starts, with each birdieing three holes in the first five.

Allen's momentum continued as she snagged three consecutive birdies on holes 10-12, a challenging stretch featuring heavily wooded fairways and elevation changes. She described hole 12 as one of the most difficult holes on the course. "It's not super long," she explained, "but the landing zone is incredibly small, making it almost impossible to hit the gap and pitch over."

Allen's birdie streak was interrupted only by a bogey on the par-5 sixth hole, but she quickly made up for it with a birdie on the seventh. Her birdie on 10 helped her stay in contention, and she followed that up with three more birdies on holes 11-14.

Pierce also had a strong round, birdieing holes 10 and 16, as well as finishing out with a birdie on 17. Allen closed out the day with a birdie on hole 18, thanks to a drive just shy of the pin.

Allen attributed her success to the change in scenery from last weekend's event, saying that Moraine State Park allowed for more room to maneuver and a greater sense of flexibility when scrambling for par. "I feel like there's a little more golf here," she said. "You can advance down the fairway if you get out of position, and make sure you're on the right side to make up for it."

With her sights set on a similar result in today's second round, Allen plans to stick with her current strategy: staying relaxed and letting the round come to her. "I'm not going to change anything," she said. "Just hope to make a few more putts." The field will be looking on as Pierce, Hokom, Fajkus, and Allen tee off at 1:10 p.m. local time, with live scoring and updates available via PDGA Live and Ultiworld Disc Golf on Twitter.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/pfdo/2017/fpo-round-1-recap