McBeth Leads Delaware Disc Golf Challenge After Hot Round

Paul McBeth, fresh from his third consecutive runner-up finish at the Pro Worlds, bounced back with a bang on Friday at the Delaware Disc Golf Challenge. The four-time PDGA World Champion carded an impressive 11-under par 61 to take an early lead at Iron Hill Disc Golf Course, surpassing defending champion Andrew Fish and several other top players who all fired off 9-under par 63s.

For McBeth, it was a welcome return to competition after the high-pressure World Championships just five days ago. However, he acknowledged that the fast turnaround meant new PDGA World Champion Gregg Barsby might not get the spotlight for long. "It's not really a good thing," McBeth said, "but my mindset's like, whoever wins this week is gonna be talked about more than our current world champion because it's so fast."

Despite an inauspicious start, which included a bogey on the second hole after slipping on the tee pad and kicking the corner of the box with his foot, McBeth regained momentum mid-round. He then caught fire, sinking eight consecutive shots under par to leapfrog to the top of the leaderboard.

McBeth's hot round was also marked by a resurgence in his putting game, which had let him down at Worlds. "I'd forgotten the last round at Worlds I missed a whole bunch, so it's always good to make outside-the-circle putts," he said. He added one more birdie on the final hole to secure his lead.

Meanwhile, Seppo Paju, who compared Iron Hill to courses in Finland, employed a different strategy to attack the track. The 23-year-old Finn navigated familiar fairways and was pleased with his round, but lamented a bogey on the final hole that spoiled an otherwise strong performance.

The top 17 players chasing McBeth are all within five shots of the lead, with defending champion Fish, Ulibarri, Paju, and Bell tied for second place. With two more rounds to play, the competition is shaping up to be a closely contested affair at Iron Hill Disc Golf Course. The Open lead card will resume play on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, with real-time scoring and statistics available on UDisc Live.

In addition to McBeth's impressive performance, other notable players struggled with the challenging closing stretch. Wysocki and Fish both managed respectable scores despite struggling with footing issues, while Johansen plummeted down the leaderboard after a triple-bogey 7 on the 17th hole.

The small field at the Delaware Disc Golf Challenge was largely due to several top touring professionals splitting between this event and the concurrent Canadian Disc Golf Championships. McBeth acknowledged that it didn't quite have the "big event" feel he's used to, but expressed hope for a larger crowd in the remaining rounds. Paju shared a similar sentiment, emphasizing that even with a smaller field, the competition was still intense and worthy of respect.

As the tournament enters its final two rounds, McBeth's lead will be put to the test by some of the best players in the world. Will he maintain his momentum or will others surge forward to take the top spot? The answer will have to wait until Sunday, but one thing is certain – the Delaware Disc Golf Challenge has already delivered an exciting and closely contested first round.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/short-memory-helps-mcbeth-early-lead-delaware