Leaders Hold Strong as Pro Worlds Reaches Midpoint

The pressure is mounting at the 2024 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships presented by Zuca, but Holyn Handley and Isaac Robinson are standing firm. After a thrilling first round through Ivy Hill Golf Club on Thursday, both leaders have solidified their positions in the top spots.

Handley's consistency has paid off, as she carded a 2-under par round at Ivy Hill to maintain her lead. However, a new challenger has emerged in Eveliina Salonen, who surged into solo second place with a scorching hot 5-under par round. Kat Mertsch slipped to third position, now four strokes behind Handley, while Emily Weatherman rounds out the top four after an impressive debut performance.

In the afternoon session, Robinson continued his impressive form, notching an outstanding 8-under par round without a single bogey through the first 36 holes. This dominant display has grown his lead to three strokes over the competition and leaves him well-positioned for the weekend.

The attention-grabbing performances of Thursday's hot rounds came from Adam Hammes and Joseph Anderson, who shared second place with identical 10-under par scores. Simon Lizotte leapt up the leaderboard with a blistering 15-under score through two rounds, narrowing his deficit to four strokes behind Robinson. Calvin Heimburg and Gannon Buhr made significant gains to tie for fifth place, just six strokes off the pace.

As Round 3 approaches on Friday at New London, all eyes will be on the contenders as they vie for a spot in the championship finals.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

The lead is three for both division at the 2024 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships presented by Zuca.

Holyn Handley and Isaac Robinson did their part on Thursday in the first trip through Ivy Hill Golf Clubto keep their leads as the pressure mounts in Lynchburg, Virginia.

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After Thursday's shuffle, which saw seven FPO players move up a pool and 22 MPO players jump, it's time for the second run through the two courses ahead of Saturday's cut to the finals.

Holyn Handley. Photos: Kevin Huver / DGN

Handley, who has back-to-back third-place finishes at Pro Worlds, finished with a 2-under par round at Ivy Hill to maintain her lead, but there's a new player in solo second place in Eveliina Salonen, who had a share of the hot round of 5-under.

Kat Mertsch dropped to third place, and is four strokes out of the lead. Emily Weatherman, making her Pro Worlds debut, rounds out the lead card heading into Friday, five strokes back of Handley.

In the afternoon, Robinson stayed locked in with a clean 8-under round, just two strokes off the hot round of the day to claim the outright lead and grow it to three strokes in the process.

Robinson is bogey-free through the first 36 holes.

Thursday's hot round belonged to Adam Hammes, who turned in a 10-under round that included a double bogey and a single bogey. It also included stellar putting — 13-of-14 from C1X and a 52-foot throw-in.

He's tied for second with Joseph Anderson, who moved up a spot with a 7-under round. Simon Lizotte jumped two spots to round out the lead card with a 15-under score for the week, four behind Robinson.

Calvin Heimburg and Gannon Buhr climbed 15 and eight spots, respectively, and are tied for fifth — six off the pace.

Action shifts back to New London on Friday for Round 3.

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