Heimburg Soars in Charlotte, Sets Sights on DGPT Championship Title

Calvin Heimburg exploded onto the scene in Charlotte, North Carolina, dominating the opening round of the 2023 Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) Championship presented by Barbasol. The top seed came into the tournament with a stroke advantage based on his impressive performance this season and continued to build on that lead at Nevin Park.

Heimburg's hot start saw him card a 7-under-par opening round, adding to his existing 6-under starting mark earned from winning the DGPT regular-season points series. This propelled him five strokes clear of the second seed, Isaac Robinson, who managed a respectable 3-under-par round.

Meanwhile, in the men's division, Kyle Klein (No. 8) made significant strides with a solid performance to earn a spot on Friday's lead card alongside defending champion Ricky Wysocki (No. 4) and Heimburg. The top seeds are all vying for their place among the top 12 players who will advance to the two-round final, where scores will be reset.

The cutline currently sits at 3-under-par, with Gannon Buhr securing his spot as the last player in at this mark, courtesy of a tiebreaker. However, Niklas Antilla stands out as the only player without a stroke advantage within the cut line, having achieved an impressive 4-under-par round.

In terms of stats, Heimburg dominated from the fairways, hitting 80% of his shots, and led the field with a remarkable 44% conversion rate in Circle 1. Robinson matched Heimburg's fairway accuracy but struggled to capitalize on opportunities, connecting only once on four scramble attempts.

Klein bounced back from an early bogey with a thrilling throw-in shot of 160 feet on the second hole, showcasing his exceptional skills. Wysocki, however, had six birdies on the front nine but was unable to maintain momentum after suffering three double bogies.

In women's play, Missy Gannon (FPO) set the tone early in the day with a stellar 2-under-par round, pulling level with Kristin Tattar at the top of the leaderboard. Ohn Scoggins matched Tattar's score to remain within striking distance, two strokes behind the leaders.

Macie Velediaz made a notable leap up the leaderboard after shooting an even-par round, securing solo fifth place as a 10th seed. She outpaced Kat Mertsch, Hailey King, and Jennifer Allen by a single stroke, who all currently sit at even par, just outside the cutline of the top eight players in FPO advancing to the weekend.

Live coverage of Round 2 commences Friday morning for women's play on the Disc Golf Network, with Active PDGA members eligible for a 50% discount on their DGN subscription.

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