James Conrad Bounces Back from Disappointing Start with Sizzling Round at Preserve Championship

James Conrad's season got off to a rocky start last week at the Dynamic Discs Open, but he quickly regained his footing with a scorching hot opening round at the Preserve Championship. The reigning US Disc Golf Champion carded a 15-under par 49 to tie Nikko Locastro for the lead in the MPO division.

Conrad's performance was all the more impressive considering his struggles in Kansas last week. He credits his improved play to getting back into tournament rhythm, which took some time to adjust to after the offseason. The Virginia pro also attributed his success to the favorable conditions at the Airborn Disc Golf Preserve, where he hit 95% of his fairways and connected on 83% of his putts inside circle 1.

Conrad's eagle on hole 18 was a highlight of the round, as he bit off over 900 feet in two shots before draining a putt from just inside the circle to catch Locastro. Despite being impressed by Locastro's pace-setting 49, Conrad felt motivated to shoot for an even lower score.

Locastro himself had a stellar round, carding 15 birdies including seven straight on the back nine. He credited his success to grinding out every single putt on the green and feeling good about his game.

In the FPO division, Paige Pierce continued her dominance with a 10-under par 55, but she'll face stiff competition from Missy Gannon, who put on another strong display after a perfect putting performance. Gannon's run of consecutive holes without missing an attempt inside circle 1 now stands at 54.

Paige Shue and Sarah Hokom are tied for fifth place with 2-under par rounds, while Kona Panis is looking to bounce back from last week's struggles in the FPO division. She credited her improved play to practicing and being more focused on what she's doing.

With live coverage beginning at 1:35 p.m. CT on Saturday, fans can expect an exciting second round at the Preserve Championship as these top players look to make their mark.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/conrad-bounces-back-ties-locastro-open-preserve-championship