Windy Conditions Provide Early Challenge for Waco Open Leaders

The Disc Golf Pro Tour – Waco Annual Charity Open got underway on Friday in Texas, pitting the world's best disc golfers against the unforgiving winds and cold temperatures of the Brazos River. Paul McBeth, a four-time PDGA World Champion, found himself battling not only his opponents but also the elements.

In an interview with DGPT, McBeth revealed that he had moments where the conditions got to him, but he was able to snap back into focus. "It's tiring because it feels like everything is against you," he said. "You've got the elements against you then you get a bad break and it's easy to think that everything was going against me." However, McBeth managed to bounce back with a birdie on the treacherous 17th hole, pulling him into a three-way tie at 8-under par alongside Nicholas Carl and Luke Humphries.

The trio of leaders will face a much calmer and warmer Saturday, according to the forecast. The change in conditions is expected to bring about what Humphries has described as "moving day" – a day where players will be vying for position on the leaderboard. As he put it, "I'm just going to try to hang out. Hopefully it won’t be as windy, but I’m going to continue to throw stuff at stuff, pick targets and execute my line."

In the FPO division, Eveliina Salonen, the 2020 WACO champion, once again found herself on top of the leaderboard. Despite struggling with her putting in the early season, Salonen was able to capitalize on her strong driving and placing skills, finishing four strokes ahead of Paige Pierce.

Salonen's statistics were impressive, with nearly six strokes gained tee-to-green over Pierce. However, she also revealed a surprising statistic – she finished at 0% from C1X (a measure of consistency in putting from the fairway). Despite this, Salonen was happy with her performance and expressed confidence in her newfound putting skills.

With seven players just one shot back from the leaders in FPO, Saturday's play promises to be an exciting continuation of the Waco Open. Live coverage will begin at 9 a.m. CST on the Disc Golf Network, with MPO coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. CST.

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