Eagle McMahon Smashes Course Record with Stunning 16-Under Par Round

Eagle McMahon made a resounding statement on the opening day of the Konopiště Open in Benesov, Czech Republic, shattering the course record with an incredible 16-under par round. The performance eclipsed his own previous best at this event, set in 2017 when he carded a 15-under par total over three rounds.

McMahon's stunning display was enough to put him in the lead of the four-round tournament, ahead of Simon Lizotte who shot a 14-under par 53. Seppo Paju and K.J. Nybo finished tied for third with 12-under par scores of 55 each.

The top five players are currently bunched together, with a logjam of six golfers - including reigning United States Disc Golf Champion Nate Sexton, three-time U.S. Champ Will Schusterick, 2009 PDGA World Champion Avery Jenkins, and 19-year-old Finnish sensation Väinö Mäkelä - all shooting 11-under par scores of 56.

McMahon's exceptional performance came on the heels of a strong showing at last month's Utah Open, where he carded an impressive 1089-rated round. The tournament also marked his reunion with trainer Andreas Gertsch, whom he credited with helping him achieve his recent success through their winter training sessions in Switzerland.

"I really felt like I was in a good mental space coming into this event," McMahon said. "Andreas had me work on my game plan while we were practicing, which helped me stay focused."

However, McMahon did admit to having some nerves before the start of play. He was still debating his strategy for hole one - a 122-meter downhill shot with out-of-bounds down the left side - in the middle of the night. In the end, he chose to play it safe and went with a more overstable Discmania FD plastic.

"I thought I'd have to take a drop zone on the first hole, but it turned out to be closer than I expected," McMahon said. "Instead of taking a 4 on that hole, I managed to two-putt it and get two bonus strokes."

That confidence boost seemed to carry McMahon through the round, as he maintained an impressive 78% green hit rate and relied heavily on his forehand shot to navigate the course's many right-hand finishing holes.

"I've been working on my forehand more this year, and I'm feeling really comfortable with it," McMahon said. "It's definitely a shot that's helped me get around some of these tricky finishing holes."

Ironically enough, it was almost the forehand that derailed his record-breaking performance. On the 136-meter 18th hole, McMahon's drive turned over and flexed further left than he intended, leaving him with a 14-meter birdie putt.

"I didn't think I'd be in position for such an easy putt," McMahon said. "But once I saw it was close, I knew it was my chance to capitalize on it. It was history from there - I was super pumped to get the course record."

Simon Lizotte, who shot a 1067-rated round, was full of praise for McMahon's performance. However, he also emphasized that the tournament is far from over and that Ricky Wysocki, who carded an 8-under par score on Friday, still has plenty of opportunities to catch up.

"Eight-down isn't the worst score ever - it's pretty decent," Lizotte said. "I'm sure Rick will be in contention for a long time yet."

With relatively mild conditions expected over the next few days, the competition is set to remain fierce at the Konopiště Open. As McMahon himself noted, a good strategy would be to have one stellar round early on and then maintain a steady pace throughout the tournament.

"It's a long event," McMahon said. "You need to stay focused and keep battling - it's not just about having one great round."

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/mcmahon-kicks-konopiste-course-record