Ladies First | Professional Disc Golf Association
Date Published
The inaugural rounds of the United States Women's Disc Golf Championships took place today in the picturesque city of Portland, Oregon. The event has drawn some of the world's top female golfers to compete for a national title.
Tournament director Rebecca Duffy faced a daunting task in selecting the two courses that would host the competition: Pier Park and Blue Lake Regional Park. These courses showcase the diversity and challenge of disc golf in Oregon. While Pier Park features tight fairways and demands precise putting skills, Blue Lake offers a longer layout that tests physical endurance.
Despite initial weather concerns, players were greeted with perfect conditions at both venues. At Pier Park, the amateur divisions kicked off their two-shot rounds, showcasing impressive skill and strategy. In the Advanced division, Jackolyn Halstead emerged as an early leader after posting strong scores. Close behind was Oregon local Sarah Henderson, who will battle it out for a top spot tomorrow.
The Advanced Masters Women's category featured a closely contested fight between Nichola Landry and Cathy Yerby, with only one stroke separating them. Cindy McMahan dominated the Grandmasters division, holding a significant lead over Terri Duncan and Tracy Lacue. The Intermediate division was also highly competitive, with Sai Ananda ahead by two throws from Robin Sampson.
At Blue Lake Regional Park, the Pro divisions started strong, despite the challenging layout. Sandy Gast impressed in the Grandmasters division with a blistering score of 64, three strokes below par. Des Reading tied for the best round of the day in the Masters division, posting an incredible -10 score to solidify her position as one of the top contenders.
In the Open Women's category, Catrina Allen began strongly, achieving a score of -10 and setting herself up for a potential repeat title win after last year's triumph. Paige Pierce is another strong contender, with Val Jenkins following closely in third place.
Local dignitaries from Portland, including Emily Hasenauer and Dan Kromer, visited the event to demonstrate their support for next year's Professional World Championships. The city of Portland has already shown its enthusiasm for hosting large-scale events like this one.
To stay updated on scores and live coverage throughout the weekend, visit pdga.com or follow our PDGA Tour Flickr page for photos from the action today.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/ladies-first