Hot Start in Emporia as Handley and Heimburg Lead the Pack

The 2023 Dynamic Discs Open kicked off at Emporia Country Club with a bang, as players from both the FPO and MPO fields took advantage of the ideal conditions. Last year's howling winds were replaced by hot weather and almost no wind, allowing competitors to focus on their game without distractions.

In stark contrast to last year, this year's FPO field faced new challenges at the Emporia Country Club Championship Course. Despite some changes to the course layout, four players managed to achieve a 50% birdie rate in the opening round. However, Holyn Handley stood out from the rest, posting an impressive nine birdies and only two bogeys to claim the top spot on the leaderboard.

Handley's strategy paid off as she bounced back from a slow start, adapting her game to suit the course conditions. "I had a pretty slow start," she admitted in an interview. "In weekends past, I would let that derail my round." But Handley remained focused and managed to come back strong, thanks to her ability to stay in the right headspace.

As she took the lead in Round 1, Handley expressed her eagerness to improve her game for Round 2. Her main focus will be on getting her drives going, as they lacked a bit of power in the opening round. "I'm going to try to come out the gates attacking the course a little bit more tomorrow," she said confidently.

Meanwhile, the MPO field took full advantage of the perfect conditions, racking up birdies and producing an extremely tight leaderboard. Eight players are currently tied for second place at 10-under par, while Calvin Heimburg leads the pack with an impressive score of 11 strokes under par.

Heimburg's stellar performance off the tee was a major contributor to his success. "I threw the disc really well for the most part," he said, but also acknowledged that his putting game didn't need to be as sharp due to the short putts he faced throughout the round. His 12 birdies were complemented by consistent drives and impressive Circle 1X putting, with six of those birdies coming from tapping in within the bullseye.

In a year filled with tight leaderboards and close finishes, Heimburg's consistency has earned him multiple Elite Series wins. With two more rounds to go, players will have to maintain their level of performance to stay at the top or risk falling behind. Will Handley be able to keep her lead in FPO, while Heimburg continues his dominance in MPO? Only time will tell as the 2023 Dynamic Discs Open unfolds.

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