Masters Worlds Kicks Off in Flagstaff with Tight Competition
Date Published
The highly anticipated 2023 PDGA Masters Disc Golf World Championships got underway in Flagstaff, Arizona, with an impressive field of nearly 900 players from around the world. The event marks a significant milestone for the city of Flagstaff, which is hosting its first major PDGA tournament in nearly two decades.
As expected, the competition was fierce on day one, with multiple divisions experiencing ties and players separated by just a single stroke. In the FA50 division, four players - Pat Duran from Arizona, Eve Jänes from Estonia, Nicole Baker from Colorado, and Debbie Polkinghorne, a two-time PDGA Major winner - are tied at the top of the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, in MP60, Mitch McClellan, Tim Keith, and Graham Garlick from Canada have each posted 4-under rounds at Thorpe Park, forcing them to move up to Little America Long for day two. Hank Kirwan and Derek Johnson share the lead in MP55, with four other players trailing by just three strokes.
Notable performances came from defending champion Joe Rovere and three-time Masters champion Dave Feldberg, who made late-round pushes to join the leaders' pack. Fellow leader Chris Smith is currently atop the leaderboard in MP50, while Juliana Korver has taken the lead in FP50. Kathy Hardyman is leading FP60, with Randy Beers holding a one-stroke advantage in MP70.
The PDGA Live Scoring will provide updates throughout the tournament, and fans can also catch post-production coverage on the PDGA's YouTube channel. Gatekeeper Media, Ace Run Pro, and Sky Hyzer Productions are among the sponsors supporting this major event.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/stage-set-flagstaff