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History In The Making

History In The Making

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 23:13

The 4 day long battle of The Memorial Championships presented by Discraft began today with the amateur divisions teeing off at Fountain Hills and the professional divisions doing the same at Vista del Camino. The highlight of day one has historically been the action on the final MPO card of the day, typically stacked with four of the best male disc golfers in the world taking on the par 60 Vista XL course. What happened instead was what will likely be a new single round rating record for any female player in the history of the sport, not to mention the fact that a few FPO competitors shot better rounds than a huge percentage of the MPO players on the same layout. 

The hot round of the day overall was shot by Philo Brathwaite (#26416), who finished with an unofficially rated 1077 round of 48. Right behind Philo, with just a single throw more sits a 6-way tie of competitors in 2nd place. The top 18 finishers in MPO for the day threw rounds between 48 and 52, with the other 102 competitors in the field finishing between 53 and 74 throws.

The hot round for the FPO division belongs to Catrina Allen (#44184) after shooting an incredible 52 for the day. Her round of eight under par is already unofficially rated at 1042. If that rating remains as is after becoming official, or simply remains close to what it is currently, it will be a new women's record for a single round on a course with an SSA between 54-60. Break down her round down even further and you'll quickly notice that she threw a better round than 102 of the 120 MPO competitors!

And that’s not where it ends. Paige Pierce (#29190) finished the day just 3 strokes behind Catrina with a 55. That score alone is the same or better than an unbelievable 92 of the 120 MPO competitors! If for some reason you weren't already aware, the top women in this sport are not to be underestimated.

Want to hear more record breaking madness from the day? Anthony Barela (#44382), fresh off his win in the advanced division at the Gentlemen's Club Challenge in Las Vegas is tied for the lead in the advanced divison here at The Memorial Championships. Why is that so interesting you ask? Well, because he's 13 years old! And no, that was not a typo.

The divisions switch places tomorrow with the amateurs taking on Vista XL and the professionals heading up to Fountain Hills Park. Fountain Hills Park is comparatively shorter and more technical than Vista XL meaning the big arms won't have as much of an advantage. Missed putts and mistakes off the tee usually mean a lost disc and/or a penalty stroke. The water hazards alone can make or break anyone's round and the lead in both the MPO and FPO divisions are easily still up for grabs. 

Tune in tomorrow to PDGAlive.com for live scoring and throw-by-throw coverage for both the FPO and MPO lead cards. The commentray will include plenty of pictures and videos at one of the most beautiful courses on the planet. Don't miss out!