Dramatic Shifts at Masters Worlds: Elaine King Takes Commanding Lead

The weather conditions on Thursday were far from ideal for the competitors at the 2017 PDGA Professional Masters Disc Golf World Championships. Rain and gusting winds wreaked havoc on the courses, but it seemed to have little effect on Elaine King's game. The Masters Women division leader made significant strides in the morning round, shooting a bogey-free score of 44 (-10) at Fallasburg Park.

King's impressive performance propelled her from tied for second place and one stroke off the lead to solo first position, four strokes ahead of Des Reading. Her dominance continued into the afternoon round as she shot another solid score of 46 (-8), leaving Lesli Todd and Des Reading eight strokes behind as they head into their final full round at Blue Gill before the semifinals on Saturday.

Meanwhile, JohnE McCray's lead in the Masters division was short-lived. The competitor who had been atop the leaderboard all week faltered on Thursday, shooting a 62 (E) that allowed Robert Bainbridge to take the top spot by three strokes over Barry Schultz. Mike Moser rounds out the lead card for this morning's Round 5 at Riverside.

The Masters are the only division competing in two rounds today, putting pressure on players across all other divisions as they fight to make the cut for either semis or finals. The top 24 (+ ties) will qualify for the semifinals in both the Masters and Grandmasters division, while the top 12 (+ ties) will secure a spot in the semis of Senior Grandmasters.

In other divisions, a playoff is set to ensue if there's a tie for fourth place after this morning's round. The top four women in the Masters Women division will advance to the Final 9, with only two spots available for the Grandmasters Women and Senior Legends.

The Legends division, meanwhile, is set to crown its World Champion this afternoon, as their small field size doesn't meet the criteria for a semifinal or Final 9. Terry Calhoun leads by five strokes going into their final round at Riverside Park, with Carlos Rigby and John Parcak trailing behind.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/2017mastersworlds/day-4-recap