DGPT Las Vegas Challenge Heats Up as Allen and Barela Extend Leads

The second round of the 2023 Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) - Las Vegas Challenge saw Catrina Allen and Anthony Barela assert their dominance, extending their leads in the FPO and MPO divisions respectively. While the temperature remained chilly in Henderson, Nevada, the wind was slightly calmer than on Thursday, allowing players to post better scores.

Allen, the defending champion, put on an impressive display of golfing prowess, carding a blistering 10-under-par round. She recorded eight birdies and two eagles, with only two bogeys spoiling her otherwise flawless performance. This achievement has earned Allen a commanding six-stroke lead over the rest of the field.

According to StatMando, Allen's statistics reveal that she has never lost an Elite or Major event when leading by 6+ strokes between rounds. With this impressive track record and a comfortable cushion of two rounds, it seems that Allen is firmly in control as the competition heads into round three.

When asked about her nerves going into the first hole, Allen revealed that she chose to "play with them" rather than letting them dictate her game. This approach paid off as she sank crucial birdies throughout the round, including a dramatic death putt on hole 6.

Allen's putting was also a highlight of her round, with an impressive 88% Circle 1X Putting rate for the day. When questioned about her decision to run putts rather than laying up and taking par, Allen expressed her confidence in making birdie putts from distance: "I don't feel like I can be as great as I want to if I lay those putts up and I know I can make them."

While Allen's performance may seem unbeatable, several other players are vying for the top spot. Henna Blomroos and Missy Gannon both shot seven-under-par rounds to move into second and third place, respectively. Ella Hansen made a significant jump on the leaderboard with a nine-under-par round, catapulting herself from 25th place to fourth.

Despite Allen's commanding lead, there is still time for other players to close the gap before returning to the Innova course for the final round on Sunday.

In the MPO division, Anthony Barela seized the top spot after carding an incredible 20-under-par round. He recorded ten birdies and one eagle, while maintaining a bogey-free performance despite throwing out of bounds on two holes. This achievement marked Barela's first outright lead at an Elite or Major event after 2+ rounds.

Barela's success was attributed to his precise gameplay, which allowed him to set himself up for birdie opportunities on nearly every hole. When asked about his strategy going into the third round, he revealed that he aims to "put myself in better position to birdie and make more putts."

The MPO field has been boosted by several high-scoring rounds, with Eagle McMahon and Aaron Gossage matching Barela's 12-under-par hot round. Kevin Jones trails Barela by just three strokes after shooting a 10-under-par round.

As the competition heads into the third round, the MPO field will face challenging conditions at the Millennium course, which is expected to be wet and rainy. Live coverage of the DGPT Las Vegas Challenge resumes on the Disc Golf Network at 12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/vegas-leaders-double-down