Stormy Weather Delays Opening Rounds at PDGA National Tour

A day of unpredictable weather conditions has thrown a wrench into the works for the Female Pro (FPO) division at the PDGA National Tour - Dynamic Discs Open. Initially, an early morning delay held up the start of play on Wednesday, with the female professionals only getting underway several hours later than anticipated.

As the afternoon wore on, another round of thunderstorms rolled in, forcing a late finish to the day's proceedings and resulting in 24 players having their opening rounds delayed until Thursday morning. This included six of the top eight scores from the initial round, which was already being played behind schedule due to a lightning delay in the Men's Professional (MPO) division.

Catrina Allen, one of the top contenders, had been making waves on the course with her impressive play. Despite having to stop short at 13 holes due to darkness, she had maintained an impressive four-under par score and was just one hole away from achieving a bogey-free round. The highlight of her game so far has been a clutch birdie on the par-4 Hole 10, where she narrowly avoided the circle's edge. When play resumed, Allen continued to impress with a birdie four on the par-5 12th.

Hailey King is currently sitting in second place, having carded an impressive two-under par score through 18 holes. However, she still has four holes left to play and will be looking to close the gap between herself and the leader.

In a notable performance, Kat Mertsch, the reigning PDGA FPO Rookie of the Year from Arkansas, took an early lead after completing her round with an even-par score of 70. During her game, she managed to snag five birdies in just six holes before experiencing a slight setback on the 18th hole when she carded a double bogey.

Rounding out the top spots are Jennifer Allen and Macie Walker, both of whom have also maintained even par scores through four holes played so far. With the rescheduled start time for the delayed players and the second round's tee times to be posted after the first round is completed, it will be intriguing to see how the standings unfold over the coming hours.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Catrina Allen lines up a shot on Hole 1 in Emporia. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

EMPORIA, Kansas — An early weather delay held up the start of the FPO division at the PDGA National Tour - Dynamic Discs Open on Wednesday.

Another round of weather in the afternoon then led to a late finish in Emporia.

Twenty four players had the finishes of their opening rounds delayed until Thursday morning due to darkness, including six of the top eight scores, after a lightning delay derailed the MPO round and another late-afternoon storm forced a second 30-minute halt for the division.

All 24 players, including Catrina Allen with a four-under par score through 13 holes, will resume their round at 8:30 a.m. CT at Jones Gold. Round two tee times for the entire FPO division will be posted after the 15 players complete their first round. The second round in FPO will have the same time block as Wednesday.

Allen was bogey-free through 13 holes, including a circle's edge birdie on the par 4 Hole 10. She snagged a birdie four on the par 5 12th after play resumed. Hailey King sits in second on the lead board at two under with four holes to play.

Kat Mertsch, the reigning PDGA FPO Rookie of the Year, is the clubhouse leader after an even par round of 70. The Arkansas native had five birdies in a six-hole stretch before a double bogey on 18 after play resumed.

Jennifer Allen and Macie Walker are also even par with four holes to play.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/fpo-battles-weather-leaders-postponed