Wysocki Takes Commanding Lead into Second Round of Santa Cruz Masters Cup

The stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the Santa Cruz Masters Cup as reigning PDGA World Champion Ricky Wysocki emerged from the first round at DeLaveaga Golf Course as the leader. With a commanding 10-under par 62, Wysocki has taken a one-shot advantage into the second and final day of play.

Wysocki's exceptional performance was not without its imperfections, however. On the challenging Top of the World hole, his forehand drive sailed out-of-bounds, leaving him with a late blemish on an otherwise impressive showing. "It was a little bit of a bummer for me," he admitted. "I just wanted to play safe on that last hole."

Despite this setback, Wysocki's opening round set the tone for his day, and he went on to lead the field in several statistical categories, including parked shots (21 percent), circle 1 putts (100 percent) and circle 2 conversions (75 percent). His impressive display of putting was highlighted by a clutch 50-footer for deuce on the 395-foot 7th hole.

Wysocki's closest challenger is local favorite Dylan Evans, who carded an excellent 9-under par 63 to take second place. Evans, who lives just south of DeLa in Aptos, attributed his success to a change in approach from his usual tournament rounds: he allowed a friend, Matt Patterson, to caddie at the last minute.

"I think he just kinda kept me in an even keel mood," Evans said of Patterson's influence. "It felt like a normal round at DeLa for me, a round with my friends." The 26-year-old Evans hit the fairways with ease, matching Wysocki's rate of 54 percent.

Philo Brathwaite jumped into contention for the first time since his trip to Thailand in January with an 8-under par 64 to take sole possession of third place. The Southern California native had been struggling this season but found some much-needed momentum on DeLa's challenging fairways.

"I need to play a similar game tomorrow," Brathwaite said, emphasizing the importance of continuing his aggressive strategy. "I need to be happy with my pars on the other ones."

Other notable performances from the first round included upstart Kevin Jones landing in seventh place with a 6-under par 66 and Washington pro Kyle Crabtree bagging the day's lone ace on the 348-foot 8th hole. Defending Masters Cup Champion Paul McBeth struggled to find his rhythm, finishing at 1-under par and tied for 29th place.

As the players prepare to take on DeLa again tomorrow, Wysocki remains confident in his ability to repeat his impressive performance. "My game's feeling good right now," he said. "Even with the bogeys I was able to still score very well." With a strong finish tomorrow, Wysocki could be crowned champion once more at the Santa Cruz Masters Cup.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/wysocki-works-top-masters-cup-leaderboard