Paul McBeth Dominates at Great Lakes Open, Willie Prince Makes Stunning Comeback

The Disc Golf Pro Tour's (DGPT) Great Lakes Open came to a close with Paul McBeth claiming his ninth DGPT victory in convincing fashion. McBeth shot an 11-under par 52 in the final round, extending his lead and securing the win with a 40-under par total of 149 over three days at the Toboggan course.

However, the real story of the tournament was Willie Prince's stunning comeback bid for second place. The Michigan native finished just one stroke behind McBeth, carding an impressive 14-under par final round to catapult himself into contention. Prince's performance earned him a runner-up finish with a total score of 31-under par 158.

Nikko Locastro slipped one spot to take third place with a 29-under par 160, while James Conrad notched his best finish on the Elite Series this season with a 27-under par 162. Dave Feldberg and Grady Shue tied for fifth place with their 26-under par 163s.

McBeth reflected on his performance, acknowledging that Saturday's dominant round made it challenging to maintain focus on Sunday. "It was hard to get focused today with that going on and the buzz," he said. "I don't think I played as well as I did Friday, but I still scored the same."

Meanwhile, Prince's remarkable journey began with a goal of finishing in the top 20 or 25. He ended up exceeding his expectations by multiple strokes, crediting his mental toughness for keeping him in the game. "To actually pull it together and shoot that last round, in that crucial of a round, was just phenomenal," he said.

Prince's attention-grabbing performance earned him recognition from the Disc Golf Pro Tour media staff, who were following his progress closely. He admitted to feeling the nerves but managed to stay focused and eventually closed out second place with birdies on four of the last five holes.

The young pro, Shue, also made waves in the tournament by finishing fifth for the first time at a PDGA National Tour or Disc Golf Pro Tour event. His consistent play throughout the week earned him the top fairway hits rate and propelled him into 10th place in both circuits' season-long standings.

With the Great Lakes Open now behind them, the players are shifting their attention to the upcoming events. McBeth is looking forward to the Konopiště Open in Europe, where he aims to maintain his momentum from Michigan. "This is a huge confidence boost going into there," he said. "If I can do that in Konopiść it's gonna be tough for them to keep up."

The DGPT will continue its tour in two weeks at the Idlewild Open, while McBeth and other top contenders are preparing to face stiff competition overseas.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/after-finishing-great-lakes-win-mcbeth-shifts-his-gaze-toward-konopiste