Players found greater comfort during the second round of the Skylands Classic National Tour event.  

At the Skylands Classic at Blue Mountain, the trauma of playing on the unique, mountain range course has subsided, allowing players to settle into a more comfortable rhythm at the final stop on the 2010 PDGA National Tour.  Whether it was a greater familiarity with the course, the glorious weather, or just the acceptance that this is not your normal park golf course, the worlds best disc golfers scored better during Saturday’s round that found them trekking through approximately 15,000 feet of disc golf play.  

Nikko Locastro continues to mature, not only with regard to his elite skills on the course, but with his mental approach to the game, as well.  And that emerging growth is showing up with great scores and more consistent performances during disc golf’s most competitive events.  

This weekend is no exception, as Locastro has forged a three-throw advantage going into Sunday’s 20-hole final round.  The St. Louis native notes that changing his putter disc to a couple of Wizards has gained him even greater confidence, while the softer plastic is resulting in his throws staying in the basket more frequently.  And at this highest level of disc golf competition, even just a couple of throws that stay in the basket can make all the difference.  Locastro has been leveraging those differences into wins.  Most notably, Locastro is bidding for his third win in as many weeks, after gaining an NT crown two weeks ago at the Vibram Open and winning a playoff over Nate Doss at the Cranbury Classic last weekend in Connecticut.  

To earn the turkey though, Locastro will have to out-duel fellow 21-year old and last week’s winner on Solitude Mountain, Paul Ulibarri, who is three throws off the pace.  Like Locastro, Ulibarri too has been on an incredible roll.  Along with last week’s Utah win, the Scottsdale, Arizona resident finished as runner-up at the 2010 PDGA Worlds and has been hovering around the top of the leader board almost every weekend he is on the tour.  

David Feldberg, the 2010 Woodchuck Drive for the Championship points series leader, is locked into a three-way tie for third place with Matt Orum (Mobile, Alabama) and the 2009 PDGA World Champion, Avery Jenkins (Santa Cruz, California).  Even with such a talented three-some, the final round looks like it will be a battle primarily reserved for Locastro and Ulibarri, who have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack.  

The Women’s Open division is also shaping up as a two player battle; this time between familiar competitors, Des Reading, who leads by one throw over Valarie Jenkins.  Their combined six individual World Championships has given them a distinct advantage under these extreme ski mountain conditions.  Reading and Jenkins flip-flopped their advantage over each other, with Jenkins gaining the early morning advantage, but Reading responding beautifully to recapture the top spot on the leader card.  

Jay Reading is game this weekend in the Masters’ division, as he is holding off the reigning World Champion in that division, Brad Hammock, by a slim two-throw margin.  Leroy Jenkins is cruising in Grandmasters, distancing himself by 15 throws over Don Thoms.  

#####