Windy Conditions Test Players' Skills at The Open at Austin

The inaugural Open at Austin, the third stop of the 2023 Disc Golf Pro Tour season, kicked off with a bang – or rather, a gust. The new Harvey Penick Golf Course in Austin, Texas, presented itself as a formidable challenge to even the best players in the FPO and MPO fields. A strong wind blowing at around 20mph pushed drives out of bounds and forced players to adjust their strategies mid-game.

Despite the difficulties, some familiar faces stood tall after round one. In the FPO field, Kristin Tattar and Ella Hansen found themselves tied for the lead with Paige Pierce just a stroke behind. The trio shared remarkably similar games, each carding four birdies and two out-of-bounds (OB) strokes. As they navigated the course, the strong wind made it tough for even the most experienced players to maintain their accuracy.

The FPO field as a whole struggled with the challenging conditions, with every player taking at least one bogey and going OB at least once by the end of the round. Only Tattar, Hansen, and Pierce managed to stay under par, averaging 10.23 strokes over par without a single hole scoring below par.

Tattar, who has a history of performing well in windy conditions, was optimistic about her chances despite the tough start. "The conditions were really tough, but otherwise the course is quite straightforward," she said after her round. Hansen echoed similar sentiments, describing the new course as "a really good challenging course for FPO."

While Pierce's 73-foot birdie putt on hole 15 took center stage in the FPO field, it was the MPO players who stole the show with their impressive performances. Simon Lizotte and Paul McBeth led the charge, but it was Väinö Mäkelä who set the bar high after carding an eagle on hole 16 to take the lead.

As the course conditions improved towards the end of the afternoon, later starters were able to finish strong, leading to four-way ties in both first and second place. Despite his rollercoaster front nine, Lizotte powered through the gusty winds to make five birdies on the back nine, securing a share of the lead.

The MPO field as a whole fared much better than their FPO counterparts, averaging just 1.77 strokes over par in round one. Buhr's impressive performance saw him avoid taking a single bogey throughout the day.

As players gear up for round two with calmer weather predicted, the question on everyone's mind is: how aggressive will they get? With better scoring conditions and a second chance at the new course, we'll see if the MPO field can maintain their impressive performances.

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