Finley Takes Commanding Lead at Idlewild Open

The DGPT returned to the challenging Idlewild course in Burlington, Kentucky for the 2020 Idlewild Open, and Holly Finley made a statement with an incredible performance on day one. The former USWDGC runner-up posted her fifth career 1000-plus-rated round, leaving her with a comfortable 5-throw lead over the FPO field.

Finley's strengths were evident in her technical skills, particularly when navigating the heavily wooded course. She led the FPO field with an impressive 71% fairway hits and demonstrated exceptional control, taking only a single OB stroke throughout the round. Finley's affinity for wooded golf courses is well-documented, and Idlewild is one of her favorites on tour.

When asked about her performance by Disc Golf Network's Terry Miller, Finley highlighted her ability to adapt to different courses. "I got there to the putt and I took a knee, and I said to myself, 'This is a really dangerous putt and you don’t need to make it'," she recalled, describing one of her signature C2 putts on hole 17. Finley's confidence and experience shone through as she cashed-in some of her high-risk, high-reward putts.

Finley will look to build on this momentum over the weekend, aiming to improve upon her season-best finish at The Preserve Championship. If she can maintain her lead, a win at Idlewild would be the biggest victory of her career so far. Despite her impressive performance, Finley remains focused on her own game plan and refuses to get caught up in what others are doing.

In contrast to Finley's dominant display, Paige Pierce struggled with a disastrous hole 13 that saw her take three OB strokes and result in a quadruple bogey. However, Pierce remains within striking distance of earning another victory in a season marked by four wins out of five elite series tour stops.

The FPO field is tightly packed behind Finley, with Sarah Hokom and Ellen Widboom among those looking to challenge for the lead over the next two days. Meanwhile, Eagle McMahon took control on the MPO side, but was unable to maintain his momentum after a double-bogey on hole 18 left him with an 11-under-par score.

McMahon's nearest rival, Paul McBeth, will begin the second round just one shot behind and is eager to claim his second DGPT elite series tour victory of 2020. He matched McMahon's impressive birdie percentage and finished strongly with a C2 putt on hole 18 that has given him momentum heading into Saturday.

The competition is set for an exciting weekend, with several players pushing for the top spots. Live coverage of round two begins Saturday at 11:35am ET on the Disc Golf Network.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/finley-sprints-5-throw-lead-mcmahon-picks-where-he-left