Pierce Takes Commanding Lead at Beaver State Fling

In a day that was more reminiscent of a beach party than a disc golf tournament, Paige Pierce weathered the storm to take a one-shot lead at the Beaver State Fling. The reigning champion carded a 2-over par 63 in Saturday's wet conditions, moving her to the top of the leaderboard with a 3-over par total.

Pierce's grip on the lead was tested by the rain, but she managed to hold on despite hitting two double bogeys on the back nine. The 14th hole, dubbed the "Monster Hole," proved to be a particularly challenging spot for Pierce, who hit a tree and had to get up and down to salvage her score.

Vanessa Van Dyken's hot round of the day was just what she needed to move back onto the lead card. The young player carded a 1-over par 64, tied with Valarie Jenkins at 4-over for the tournament. Jenkins' impressive play has been a surprise, given that she hadn't thrown a disc since finishing the San Francisco Open two weekends ago.

Catrina Allen slipped to fourth place after her round, but the reigning Beaver State Fling Champion remained confident about her chances heading into Sunday's final. "The rest of the round was match play," Pierce said. "I developed a good lead through the middle of the round and let it falter. Hopefully today I can get a better grip on the disc and keep my hands dry."

Meanwhile, Van Dyken attributed her improved performance to a self-diagnosis she made on the seventh hole. She realized that she was off-kilter in her run-up and made adjustments to her technique, resulting in increased accuracy down the stretch.

As the conditions worsened, Van Dyken relied on her mental game to stay focused. "I was just trying to rationalize a lot of things to myself," she said. "One thing that was making me feel really comfortable is I told myself, 'I'm a disc golfer, and in my time being a disc golfer I'm going to have a lot of putts and a lot of drives and a lot of upshots, and this is just one of the many I'm going to have in my life.'"

The mental game proved crucial for Jenkins as well, who admitted that she was focused on survival rather than trying to make birdies. "You don't wanna be caught hitting trees or getting off the fairway," she said. "I think that's what I focused on and didn't let the tee pads bother me."

With Sunday's final round looming, Pierce, Van Dyken, and Jenkins are all set for a thrilling conclusion to the tournament. Will Pierce hold onto her lead, or will one of her competitors make a dramatic comeback? Only time will tell.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/after-rainy-round-pierce-gets-grip-bsf-lead