Hammes Takes Early Lead at Ed Headrick Disc Golf Hall of Fame Classic

The opening round of the Ed Headrick Disc Golf Hall of Fame Classic has seen Wisconsin's Adam Hammes rise to the top of the leaderboard. The 20-year-old shot a spectacular 10-under par 58 at the International Disc Golf Center's W.R. Jackson course, propelling him into the lead with a single shot advantage over Florida pro Calvin Heimburg.

Hammes' performance drew attention due to its similarity to his career-breaking round in 2017, when he also shot 58 on this same course during the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championship. However, Hammes insists that he is now a different player and focused solely on playing his current game.

"It was pretty cold this morning," Hammes said about his early struggles, "but once I warmed up, it was smooth sailing." He went on to make four consecutive birdies and added three more throughout the round. A 50-foot putt saved par on hole 17, while a final birdie on the par-5 18th sealed his impressive score.

Heimburg, who had some Florida friends cheering him on from the sidelines, shot 9-under par 59 to put himself right behind Hammes in the standings. The Florida pro is known for his exceptional scrambling skills, which he used effectively throughout the round, saving 86% of his scrambling opportunities. Heimburg credits his ability to navigate the woods at Jackson as a key factor in his success.

"We don't play many courses with natural OB lines," Heimburg explained, "so it's huge out here and can save you a lot of strokes."

Simon Lizotte, the German star, also struggled early on but managed to rebound with two key connections on the back nine. His putter was initially uncooperative, but he eventually found his rhythm, finishing the round with three consecutive birdies.

The second day of competition will see Hammes and Heimburg vying for the top spot alongside five other players tied for fourth place: Trevor Harbolt, Austin Hannum, Joel Freeman, JohnE McCray, and Chris Clemons. When asked about their strategy for Saturday's play, both Hammes and Heimburg emphasized the importance of maintaining a clean round.

"When I play out here," Hammes said, "I just take the birdies when they come. I don't try to force anything and just have a smooth round."

Heimburg echoed similar sentiments, stating that as long as he keeps throwing his Eagles smoothly and in the fairway, he should be able to continue stringing together birdies.

The lead card tees off at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, with instant scoring and statistics available via UDisc Live.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/hammes-home-atop-hofc-leaderboard