Gurthie Seeks First National Tour Victory in Santa Cruz Masters Cup

Garrett Gurthie is on the cusp of achieving a long-sought goal as he enters the final round of the Santa Cruz Masters Cup. The Florida pro has been chasing his first PDGA National Tour victory for over 16 years, and Saturday's performance at DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course has put him in prime position to finally claim that elusive title.

Gurthie's impressive 7-under par 66 on Saturday saw him surge to the top of the leaderboard, with a two-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round. This is his first time leading after 48 holes on the National Tour, and it marks a significant milestone in what has been an incredible career.

"I'm ready to win my first big one – it's been forever," Gurthie said. "I haven't won a big NT before, so I'm excited to have the chance and be on top going into the last day."

The 35-year-old pro has played an astonishing 248 tournaments since turning professional in 2004, including 35 events on the National Tour circuit. He has consistently shown himself to be one of the best players in the world, but this is his first chance at claiming a major win.

Gurthie's performance was not without its challenges, however. The rain that drenched the Santa Cruz Mountains caused players to scramble not only on the course but also for extra towels and dry clothes. Despite these conditions, Gurthie persevered, relying on his experience and skill to navigate the soggy terrain.

"I toughed it out," he said with a smile. "We all have to play in this weather, so it's who can play the best, stay the driest, be the warmest. I did pretty good prepping myself this morning...We survived the round and we did OK today."

Other top players struggled with the conditions, with defending champion Ricky Wysocki and four-time Masters Cup winner Paul McBeth both experiencing disappointing rounds. Matt Orum, however, made a dramatic surge up the leaderboard with an 8-under par hot round that saw him jump 14 places to fifth.

Orum credited his teammates from Prodigy for providing him with extra pants and encouraging him to return to his old school putting style. "I went back to my old school putt since I haven’t used it in like 10 years," he said. "Yesterday I missed so many short ones I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m going old school.’ Went back to that, started working and I was like, ‘Let’s go.'"

As the final round approaches, Gurthie is aware of the significance of this event. "This tournament's always got some nerves behind it just because of how big it is and what it means to us to win this tournament," he said. "Regardless, it's gonna be a tough win tomorrow, so we're gonna give it all I got."

The stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the Santa Cruz Masters Cup, with Gurthie poised to make history as the first player in his career to claim a National Tour victory.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/im-ready-gurthie-aims-first-national-tour-title