Thrilling Finishes Mark Aussie Open Drama

The 2017 Australian Disc Golf Open has come to a close in dramatic fashion outside of Perth, Australia at the Mundaring DiscGolfPark. A break from the extreme heat that had been pushing players to their limits was welcome by all, but it didn't change the fact that this event would be one for the books.

Before we delve into the exciting finishes, we'd like to apologize to three disc golf legends: Des Reading, Elaine King, and Juliana Korver. In a previous article, we incorrectly reported that Paige Pierce was on pace to become the first woman to qualify for the United States Disc Golf Championship (USDGC) based on her top 10 finish against male competitors. We were wrong - these women had already achieved this feat in different PDGA events.

However, 14 years later, we're thrilled to congratulate Paige for qualifying for a spot at the 2017 USDGC with a score of six under par (254), leaving her in 9th place overall against eligible competitors. This impressive achievement came despite playing in temperatures exceeding 100°F (38°C) and shooting under par in all three rounds, including a 1003-rated Round 1 and a 1022-rated Round 3.

Paige's score of six under par was the 11th best at the event against all players across divisions. She finished the weekend with four over par (69) in her final round after anxiously awaiting the completion of other Open divisions, where multiple competitors were still in the hunt. With a lead of 19 going into the final round, Paige had little to worry about as far as winning the event.

However, excitement was palpable in the women's division, with Jennifer Allen finishing second, Madison Walker third, and Des Reading fourth. Despite the challenging conditions - a wet and chilly morning with an endless drizzle that made discs, tee pads, and fairways slick - most of the women threw rounds this afternoon comparable to their scores from previous days.

Jennifer shot a strong round of two under par (63) during Round 3, giving her enough of a cushion over Madison to secure her second-place finish. Des rounded out the lead card for the final round in fourth place, and all four ladies finished in the same position they started.

Meanwhile, the battle between Eagle McMahon and Ricky Wysocki was an epic experience. No one expected that the record-breaking drama we witnessed during Round 2 would be combined with the back-and-forth excitement of Round 3 to create one of the most thrilling final rounds a PDGA Major has seen since Wysocki's win on the last hole at the 2016 European Masters.

Ricky started the birdiefest on hole 1, and it was clear that this would be another birdie-or-die round. Joined by Paul McBeth in third and Japan's Manabu Kajiyama, the course was about to get absolutely ripped apart. In the front nine alone, the four of them carded no bogeys and 27 birdies.

By the time they finished hole 12, Wysocki had reduced his deficit to Eagle to just one. Ricky went birdie-for-birdie with Eagle for the next three holes before finally missing a birdie putt inside the circle on hole 15, giving Eagle a two-hole lead.

However, those who know Ricky's game knew it was far from over. He teed off last and parked it on hole 17, forcing Eagle to make a 50-foot (15-meter) putt to save par and avoid a tie going into the final hole. With the pressure on, Eagle nailed it, but his second shot on 18 landed out of bounds.

Ricky then tapped in for the win, closing out a nail-biting finish that saw him catch up with an incredible 1096-rated round of 16 under par. Paul McBeth finished with an impressive 14 under par (51), including a throw-in eagle on hole 16, which bested his previous personal course record.

Manabu tapped in on 18 to secure fourth place. A special thank you goes out to all the staff and volunteers who made this event possible - it was truly a pleasure for non-local players to be part of such an incredible disc golf experience Down Under!

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/pierce-earns-usdgc-spot-wysocki-takes-down-mcmahon-aussie-open