Stroke & Distance challenge the field at the USDGC ........ by Todd Harrell

With stroke & distance penalties reaking havoc for much of the field, the defending champion Nikko Locastro and Will Schusterick were able to keep their heads on straight to grab an early lead after the USDGC’s first round. Both Locastro and Schusterick scored a 61 (-7) during a day where a below par score was hard to come by. But, it was still done. Karl Johan Nybo of Denmark shot a 62 (-6) and is right behind the leaders. And, playing in his very first USDGC, Josh Crowl of Tulsa, Okla., shares third with Finland’s Jussi Meresmaa after shooting a 63 (-5). Another Tulsa resident, Adam Hunt, is one stroke behind Crowl and Meresmaa. Seven more are tied at (-3) including Paul Ulibarri, 2005 winner Dave Feldberg, Cale Leiviska, 3-time winner Barry Schultz, and 5-time winner Ken Climo.

The day began with a bizarre twist when tournament spotters and others near hole 5 witnessed the strange sight of a SUV rolling down the fairway and splashing into Winthrop Lake. The task of pulling out the truck belonging to Wisconsin competitor Chris Heeren temporarily closed the hole, causing a 30-minute tee time back up. Then, the round ended in the nick of time as players finished just before dusk was setting in. Officials blamed the submerged vehicle for the close finish. Stroke and distance is extending the rounds, but David Gentry of the PDGA said it’s only by about 15 minutes.

Despite the perilous stroke & distance, Locastro was still gun slingin’ as usual. Locastro and Steve Brinster were the only players to tally two eagles in the round. Both shot them on holes 10 and 12. However, Locastro also had bogeys on holes 5 and 9 and a double bogey on 14. With only one bogey Schusterick said his conservative play was rewarded and that’s the way he plans to play the rest of the week. “I didn’t really go for a lot. I got the birdies when I could,” The Tennessee resident said. For the tricky hole 17, Schusterick said he laid up in the safe area just beyond the tee, which allowed him an easy three. He said the approach from there is pretty self explanatory, so that will probably be his strategy for the entire week.

Nybo, who struggled during the stroke play round of the Presidents Cup on Tuesday, definitely found his way on Wednesday, making 10 birdies. He said making a double bogey to end out the round on 18 left a bad taste in his mouth, but on the whole he was pleased with his play.
“I was scared on some holes, but I followed my game plan and it worked,” said Nybo, who had birdied holes 10 through 16. Nybo ended up taking 26th at last year’s USDGC.

Climo was satisfied to still be in the hunt after several key players submitted some rather high scores Wednesday. With the tougher penalties in place, he said it’s going to be hard for anyone not to have one or two slip-up rounds this week. “It’s kind of like walking on pins and needles,” said Climo, whose last USDGC win came in 2007. With the penalties weighing on your mind, it’s tough to get full distance out of his throws, he added.

Schusterick said that during the round he tried not to even think about how well he was playing because he knew that one errant hole could send him tumbling down the OB spiral. Penalty breakdowns were a common thing Wednesday. After a 71 (+3) that included 7′s on holes 11 and 13, Gregg Barsby felt a bit brutalized by the course. But, he’s trying to look past it. “I’m hoping for a better tomorrow and the rest of the week,” he said. OB was almost par for the course in some areas. “I saw some people fall apart on my hole. I’m talking 7′s, 9′s, an 11,” said USDGC volunteer Nathan Lane, who was spotting on hole 14.

Ace alert.

Trey Johnson, who was playing in his first USDGC, got a lasting memory after he aced hole 7 on Wednesday. Johnson of Rock Hill had been trying to qualify for the tournament for seven years. It might be fitting that he aced the bamboo hole since it has been one of the holes he’s worked the most on as an Innova employee and tournament volunteer.