With the immense amount of talent on site at the Santa Cruz Masters Cup, one would expect to see a few rounds by the end of the weekend that, for the average player, are hard to comprehend. However, what Paul McBeth did yesterday at DeLaveaga DGC, one of the most difficult courses on the planet, is beyond words.

To finish DeLa at 15 under par with 17 birdies and two bogeys (24-hole layout) is just plain incomprehensible – inhuman, really. The course record-breaking round has been unofficially rated at 1104, one of just a handful of 1100+ rated rounds in the history of the sport, four of which are now owned by the man himself.

“It was a mixture of everything going well,” McBeth said. “Then I had two 4s in there, so it’s not like I played the whole round great. I had some shakes early in the round, but other than that pretty smooth. Drive, putt, drive, putt.”

Read the full interview with McBeth on UltiworldDiscGolf.com »

McBeth’s performance gave him a seven-stroke cushion between himself and the rest of the field as he heads into round 2 this afternoon with the 2nd place position belonging to NorCal’s own Christopher Watson at eight under par. Joining them on the lead card just one shy of Watson are Japan’s Manabu Kajiyama and the Santa Cruz local himself, Nate Doss, tied for 3rd place, with a six-way tie for 5th place behind them.

Click to view the full version of the Round 1 hole-by-hole scores.

Teeing off last today as the featured division will be the Open Women, where Paige Pierce is looking to continue her already very successful disc golf season. Although visibly frustrated with her performance during the opening round, Pierce managed to outplay her competitors to finish the round as the leader at five over par.

Five over par in the Open Women’s division isn’t a bad round by any means based on what the women have scored at the Masters Cup, historically. In 2016, the lowest score on the course was just one better at four over par, shot by both Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen. Going back one year further, the best round score for the ladies in 2015 was an even par, shot once again by Pierce in back-to-back rounds.

A difference of a few strokes might seem like no big deal to some, but for the men and women that dedicate their lives to the sport, a few strokes here and there add up quickly. Going into round 2 this afternoon, Pierce will be joined Nicole Bradley sitting two strokes off the lead, with Jennifer Allen and Valarie Jenkins tied for 3rd place one shy of Bradley.

Nicole Bradley teeing off during round 1.

Whether it’s McBeth’s lead of seven or Pierce’s lead of two, there are still 24 more holes to be played at DeLa DGC before heading over to the DeLaveaga Golf Course for the final round. It cannot be overstated enough; anything can happen at DeLa DGC. There is simply no such thing as a comfortable lead.

Live scoring will begin at approximately 10:30am PDT for the top cards in the Open division and will continue throughout the day until the lead Open Women’s card tees off at 2:20pm PDT. Post-production video coverage from the opening round is already in the works via The SpinTV. Stay tuned for Round 2 action from the Santa Cruz Masters Cup 2017!