Disc Golf Champs Battle It Out in Back-to-Back Four-Hour Rounds

The 2017 United States Women's Disc Golf Championships presented by Prodigy Disc kicked off with a bang as top players Catrina Allen and Lisa Fajkus battled it out at Harmon Hills, just outside of Johnson City, Tennessee. Despite the challenging conditions - back-to-back four-and-a-half-hour rounds can be grueling for even the most seasoned athletes - the women showed no signs of fatigue, enjoying the sun-filled day on the course.

The competition was fierce from the start, with Catrina and Lisa tied at the top of the leaderboard, three strokes ahead of a four-way tie for third place. Paige Pierce and Stephanie Vincent joined the lead card, but only Catrina remained in first place by the end of the round. Catrina's impressive play early on included a string of pars and occasional birdies, with her only other bogey coming on the 17th hole after a long wait.

As the day wore on, the temperature increased and a gentle breeze rolled in to help keep the players cool. Sarah Hokom made a strong move from the chase card, staying bogey-free with two birdies and catching up with Lisa for second place. Val Jenkins also impressed, finishing the front nine three under par (31) to jump significantly up the leaderboard.

However, Catrina's lead seemed insurmountable until Sarah went on a tear on the back nine, racking up four birdies in a row. Catrina responded by picking up bogeys on 13, 15, and 16, leaving her tied with Sarah and Paige just two holes from finishing.

The final hole proved to be decisive, as Sarah carded a double bogey while Paige notched a birdie, propelling her to the top of the leaderboard. With another birdie on the final hole, Paige finished six under par (61) to emerge as the leader, one stroke ahead of Catrina.

The stage is now set for an exciting finale at Pine Oaks, a hybrid course built into the Pine Oaks Golf Course near downtown Johnson City. The course features steep elevation changes and challenging fairways lined with large trees, making it a true test of skill for even the top players.

Don't miss the live coverage on pdgalive.com starting at 9:00am sharp on Sunday morning! And be sure to subscribe to Prodigy Disc (YouTube) and The Disc Golf Guy (YouTube) for all the latest updates, pictures, and videos from the championships.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/2017uswdgc/day-2-recap