Rain-Soaked Drama Unfolds as Pro Disc Golfers Battle Through Des Moines Challenge

The first day of the Des Moines Challenge presented by Discraft was a rollercoaster ride for professional disc golfers competing in the MPO division. A torrential downpour greeted players at dawn, forcing numerous delays and pushing some tee times back as much as 90 minutes. Even the live stream on the Disc Golf Network was delayed due to rain and lightning.

While earlier groups navigated through pouring rain, later cards faced strong winds that made their rounds even more challenging. "If they blew any horn...that meant we were finishing up our round tomorrow morning," Paul McBeth said in a post-round interview.

The weather may have been wild, but Silas Schultz was unstoppable. The 1009-rated player from Baton Rouge took the lead after birdieing four of the first five holes and six of the last seven to finish the day with an impressive score. Ben Callaway fought his way through the tough conditions to shoot a -7 and take second place, just one stroke behind Schultz.

James Conrad and Paul McBeth were hot on the course but fell short of the top spots, finishing in 13th and second place respectively. If the weather clears up for Round 2, Saturday could see some dramatic shifts in the standings as players jockey for position.

Meanwhile, the FPO division saw a thrilling battle between Paige Pierce, Kristin Tattar, and Missy Gannon, but only one card was able to complete its round on Friday. Pierce and Tattar shared the lead with -4 scores, while Gannon trailed by just one stroke at -3. The rest of the FPO players will have to finish their final holes early Saturday morning before teeing off.

The Des Moines Challenge is shaping up to be an unpredictable event, with plenty of drama and excitement still to come. Tune in tomorrow for Round 2 action on the Disc Golf Network at 3:00 p.m. CT to see who emerges victorious.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/schultz-leads-after-stormy-des-moines-opener-fpo-suspended