Steady" Ed Memorial Masters Cup Sizzles with Scorching Scores

The Steady Ed Memorial Masters Cup kicked off with a bang yesterday, as the world's top disc golfers descended upon the scenic De Laveaga Disc Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California. The event, part of the PDGA National Tour Elite Series sponsored by Vibram Disc Golf, promises to be an unforgettable three-day competition.

As the tournament got underway, players enjoyed a typical Santa Cruz day – clear skies and cool ocean breezes – but the action on the course was anything but tranquil. In fact, some of the competitors were so hot that they set the course ablaze with scorching scores.

One player who managed to ace the competition was Noah Rodriguez of Whittier, California. Rodriguez's impressive drive skipped over a root and landed straight into the basket on Hole 8, earning him a spot in disc golf history.

After the first round, several divisions had emerged as hotly contested battles for supremacy. In the Senior Grandmasters division (60+), Hall of Famer Dr. Rick Voakes of Bowling Green, Kentucky took an impressive 15-stroke lead over fellow Hall of Famer Tom Schott of Santa Cruz. The Tournament Director for the 2011 PDGA Professional World Championships held in Santa Cruz, and designer of the De Laveaga course.

In the Men's Grandmaster (50+) division, last year's King of the Lake NT Grandmaster Champion Doug Werner of Fremont, California was holding a three-throw lead over a field of four other top Californians. Meanwhile, current Grandmaster World Champion Jim Oates of Orangevale, California and Mike Ward of Bend, Oregon trailed closely behind.

The Men's Masters (40+) division saw Patrick Brown of San Francisco take the lead by one throw over Jason Tyra of Grass Valley, with Jonathan Baldwin, the current Masters World Champion, trailing by four throws. Kevin Couch of Oakland, California completed the group in third place.

In the Ladies Open division, Sarah Hokom of Caldwell, Idaho took a two-throw lead over three-time World Champion Val Jenkins of Capitola, California and 2011 PDGA Rookie of the Year Catrina Allen of Phoenix, Arizona.

But the real story of Round 1 was the thrilling competition in the Open Men's division. Will Shusterick of Nashville, Tennessee set the pace with a scorching -10 score on his round, but Nate Doss of Capitola, California and Eric McCabe of Emporia, Kansas joined him at 10 under par after completing their rounds.

With Paul McBeth of Clearwater, Florida and Paul Ulibarri of Phoenix, Arizona trailing by just two throws, the competition is shaping up to be a thrilling three-day battle. With many top players within striking distance, fans can expect plenty of action-packed moments as the tournament unfolds.

For live scoring and updates from the Steady Ed Memorial Masters Cup, visit www.pdga.com or follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes insights and information from Matt Gregorie, PDGA Social Media Savant.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/cruuuuuuz