Hot Start for Pierce and Gurthie at Preserve Championship

The first day of the Disc Golf Pro Tour's Preserve Championship got off to a sizzling start at the Airborn Disc Golf Preserve in Minnesota. The high temperatures were matched by the high scores as the top players in both MPO and FPO divisions vied for position on the leaderboard.

Paige Pierce, one of the favorites to win, set an early pace with five birdies in her first five holes. She continued to impress throughout the round, finishing at 10-under par despite a lone double bogey on hole 10. Pierce's strong performance earned her a three-stroke lead going into day two.

Ella Hansen and Catrina Allen found themselves tied for second place, three strokes back of Pierce. Hansen put together a solid round, while Allen had the distinction of having one of only two bogey-free rounds of the day.

In the MPO division, Bradley Williams initially set an untouchable pace with a 12-under par round. However, Garrett Gurthie and Kyle Klein had other plans. The two players combined for 26-under par on their card, with Gurthie leading the charge at 13-under par. Their hot rounds were capped off by an all-star eagle on hole 18.

Gurthie attributed his success to his focus throughout the round, which has been a key factor in his recent hot streak. Klein also had a standout performance, going 7-under over the final six holes and earning himself a spot on the lead card.

The temperatures may have cooled down for day two, but the competition is heating up. The top players will look to build on their strong performances from the first round as they head into the final two days of play.

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