Garrett Gurthie continued his strong play to open the Preserve Championship on Friday. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

It was a scorcher Friday at the Airborn Disc Golf Preserve.

On top of the high Minnesota temperatures, the field lit up the scoreboard to open the Disc Golf Pro Tour – Preserve Championship designed by Leiviska Disc Golf to already set up a sprint to the finish with two rounds to go.

In the morning, as the fans began to fill the beloved property of Minnesota’s own Cale Leiviska, Paige Pierce got off to a blistering start with birdies the first five holes and setting a pace that looked to be tough to match.

It was, for the most part.