Elite Series Leaders Emerge in Des Moines Challenge

The opening round of the 2023 TruBank Des Moines Challenge Presented by Discraft has produced some stunning results in both the FPO and MPO fields. At Pickard Park, a tie for the lead emerged in each division, with two players vying for dominance in the FPO field and two Iowa natives sharing top honors in the MPO.

In the FPO, Emily Beach delivered an exceptional performance off the tee, hitting 80% of fairways and gaining 4.81 shots per round from tee to green. Her hot start saw her score six-under through nine holes, but she took a bogey on the final hole, averaging as the most difficult hole in Round 1. Despite this slight dip, Beach's overall score stood at seven-under par, tying her with Kristin Tattar for top spot.

Tattar, the defending champion, also demonstrated her prowess, carding nine birdies and a few bogeys to finish alongside Beach on the leaderboard. When asked about her chances of scoring lower in Round 2, Tattar emphasized the importance of navigating challenging conditions: "I think there are a lot more birdies out there. If the wind picks up or there's any rain, it's going to be tough to birdie so I think it's more important to just keep it in bounds and try to make all the putts if you have a look."

Paige Pierce and Macie Velediaz completed the Round 2 lead card with scores of six-under and five-under par, respectively. The top four players will aim to maintain their positions as they face a tougher test on Day 2.

In the MPO field, Gavin Babcock and Gannon Buhr set the pace after finishing at 13 strokes under par, tying the course record. Both Iowa natives impressed with their accuracy off the tee, consistently executing their shots to leave themselves stress-free putts for birdie. Buhr's round was not without its early struggles; however, he bounced back from a slow start to card an incredible 14 birdies on Friday.

When asked about his performance, Buhr reflected on his recent slump and expressed gratitude for being able to share the lead with Babcock: "After Hole 1 and Hole 2, missing the circle 2 putt for birdie, I kind of just felt hopeless again. Out of nowhere, I just strung together five, six, seven turned into eight birdies in a row." With an Elite Series win already under his belt this season, Buhr appears poised to tackle the challenges ahead.

Babcock's impressive display saw him avoid taking a single bogey throughout Round 1 and earn a place on the lead card. When asked about performing under pressure, Babcock shared his enthusiasm for being at home: "I feed off that, so I'm looking to keep it up and just keep loving this home crowd because they're loving it and it feels nice to be home."

As we head into Round 2, the tension is palpable. The separation between leaders and challengers remains relatively small, with a single stroke separating Babcock/Buhr from those tied for third place – including last year's winner, Simon Lizotte. With such close competition, anything can happen in the final two rounds of the Des Moines Challenge.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/homefield-advantage