Windy Conditions Shake Up Leaderboards at 2023 Las Vegas Challenge

The third round of the 2023 Las Vegas Challenge has seen a dramatic shift in fortunes for many players in both the FPO and MPO fields. On Saturday, the FPO field faced some of their best conditions yet, but it was the MPO field that struggled with gusty winds in the afternoon.

For Catrina Allen, who held a six-stroke lead going into round three, an eight-stroke advantage heading into championship Sunday seems almost insurmountable. However, Allen's largest blown lead at this event was four shots back in 2019, and she will need to maintain her focus if she wants to secure the win.

Ella Hansen's impressive 8-under par round on Saturday saw her climb up to second place, with a 13-stroke improvement over her first-round performance. Hansen, who finished sixth at last year's event, is still searching for an Elite Series victory and believes that she has the skills to challenge Allen in the final round.

"I know I can score really well on this course," Hansen said of her strategy heading into Sunday's competition. "I have five holes where I'm confident I can eagle, so my goal will be to try and get as many under-par strokes as possible and see where it leaves me."

Hansen's strong performance was matched by Missy Gannon, who trails Hansen by two strokes, while Hailey King and Henna Blomroos are tied at nine-under par. The FPO field will head back to the Innova course for their final round on Sunday.

In contrast to Allen's seemingly unbeatable lead in the FPO field, the MPO leaderboard was turned upside down as players took advantage of calmer conditions early on and battled through the gusty winds later on. Drew Gibson shot a hot 12-under par round, jumping up 30 places but still failing to catch up with the leaders.

Anthony Barela had held a three-stroke lead over Kevin Jones at the start of round three, but his slow start allowed Jones to surge ahead by two strokes. Jones' impressive putting skills were on full display as he shot a 9-under par round, displaying remarkable composure even in the face of increasingly strong winds.

"I think I have a solid gameplan right now," said Jones after his round. "I'm focusing on my putter upshots and trying to keep things simple." According to StatMando, Jones has a record of success when holding the outright lead going into the final round, having won two recent events.

Barela, who climbed back up to second place with a strong finish, believes that his gameplan was sound but acknowledges that he struggled with angle control in the windy conditions. Calvin Heimburg and Eagle McMahon sit just behind Jones and Barela at 23-under par, while Paul McBeth will start Sunday's final round on the chase card at 21 under par.

As fans look forward to a thrilling championship Sunday, Barela warned them: "Get ready for a show tomorrow."

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/allen-goes-all-jones-jumps-ahead