Women's Disc Golf Champs Kick Off with Thrilling Round 1
Date Published
The sun may have been hiding behind clouds in Sabattus, Maine, but the competitive spirit was shining bright at the 2016 PDGA United States Women's Disc Golf Championships. The first round of the tournament got underway on a wet and chilly morning, with light rain persisting throughout the day as the women teed off on both The Hawk and The Eagle courses.
The professional divisions, joined by the Advanced Women's division, took on the more challenging course, The Eagle, which requires precision and skill to navigate its meandering creek and treacherous basket placements. With its risk-reward layout, staying in bounds is crucial, and no one demonstrated this better than Sarah Hokom, 2011 Women's World Champion and 2013 US Women's Champion.
Hokom's round of one under par (61) was a testament to her expertise on tightly wooded courses, where her precision forehand drives allow her to hit lines through the woods that others struggle to achieve. Her four birdies and just three bogeys earned her well-deserved recognition as she carded some exceptional shots.
Finishing closely behind Hokom was Indiana's Michelle Frazer, who posted a round of 63 (+1), just two strokes off the lead. Despite playing fewer tournaments than many of her competitors, Frazer consistently makes an impact when she does participate. Her impressive record includes five first-place finishes in her last 13 tournaments, and this year's USWDGC is no exception.
Frazer's presence on the lead card, along with Hokom, Zoe Andyke, and Paige Pierce, sets the stage for a thrilling competition. Both rounds today will be played on The Hawk course, which offers similar challenges to The Eagle but with fewer out-of-bounds hazards. Players who can navigate this course efficiently will likely rise through the rankings.
The amateur divisions will continue their battle on The Eagle course, while those competing on The Hawk will tee off later in the morning. Spectators can follow the action live on pdgalive.com, where hole-by-hole scoring and updates will be provided despite some technical challenges with cell phone coverage.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/rain-doesnt-phase-ladies-uswdgcs-round-1