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The Answer Is Throwing In The Wind

The Answer Is Throwing In The Wind

Friday, March 21, 2014 - 22:15

"That's ridiculous..." was the most common phrase overheard if you were hanging out near where the players turned in their scorecards after finishing their first round of the Texas State Championships. The players and spectators uttering that phrase were of course referring to the unofficially rated 1107 round that Ricky Wysocki (#38008) threw in the persistent 30mph wind on the monstrous 21 hole layout that is Old Settlers' Park in Round Rock, TX. Even the players that came in feeling really good about their round were blown away. Wysocki finished the day with a 55, leaving him at 12 under par as the only person to card anything under 60, and 6 ahead of the next best round, a 61 by Paul Ulibarri (#27171).

There must be something about Texas. At East Metro Park in Manor, TX just a year ago, Wysokci shot the hot round to start the tournament and then expanded his lead even further on day two with a 1089 rated round that was 7 throws better than anyone else on the day. He's been telling his Prodigy Disc teammates during the last week or so of practice that he loves the course, and loves playing in the wind. He was mentally and physically prepared for the conditions that today brought and it showed. Instead of letting it get to him, he embraced it and dominated.

When you’ve watched the best players in the world play as often I have up close and in person, you start to figure out the specific body language, the tells if you will, of those having a less than fortunate round. The sighs, the carelessness, the overthinking of putts or upshots, clinching fists and grinding teeth, conversations with themselves under their breath, etc. The same can be said about those playing well, and when Wysocki is killing it, it's obvious.

When he steps up to throw, it's as if he's no longer thinking about….well, anything really. He knows exactly where he needs the disc to go and when he throws, it lands there. It's like watching someone that's having a really bad round grab a driver, step on the tee pad, and then throw carelessly, as if to say "It doesn't matter at this point.” It appears that way, but in reality what's happening is essentially the opposite. He’ll be joined by Paul Ulibarri, Paul McBeth (#27523), and Eric McCabe (#11674) tomorrow morning on the lead card.

In the Open Women division, the all too familiar battle between Paige Pierce (#29190) and Catrina Allen (#44184) will be in full effect tomorrow for round two. Pierce finished the day two throws ahead of Allen with an impressive round of 5 over par (72), unofficially rated 998. They’ve both set a new precedent for the women of this sport in that they’re consistently throwing better rounds than a majority of the Open division competitors on the same course layout in the same conditions. Keep in mind that anyone can play in the Open division, hence the name. Jennifer Allen (#15354) and Sarah Hokom (#34563) will join them on the lead card tomorrow, just a few throws behind Catrina Allen.

We’ll have live scoring once again tomorrow for the Open Masters, Open Women, and Open divisions, at minimum. Throw-by-throw coverage will be nonstop from the moment Paige Pierce tees off to the moment the last putt hits the chains on the Open division lead card. All the action can be seen on PDGALive.com with commentary, pictures, and videos. Everything except the live scores will also be available via @PDGALive on Twitter.

There’s a small chance of rain tomorrow but the wind should be more than manageable compared to today. Tune in and cheer on your favorite players as they take on Old Settlers Park for the second round of the Texas State Championships! High-resolution photos from the day can always be found on our Flickr page as well.