*Story originally published by our friends at Ultiworld Disc Golf, written by Steve Hill. Follow Ultiworld Disc Golf on Facebook and Twitter for 2016 Masters Cup coverage and much, much more! Photo Credit: DJ Ellis of La Bella Vita Photography.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Despite being the world’s second-ranked disc golfer, the knock on Ricky Wysocki #38008 in recent memory has been that, come crunch time, he wilts under the pressure.
*Story originally published by our friends at Ultiworld Disc Golf, written by Steve Hill. Follow Ultiworld Disc Golf on Facebook and Twitter for 2016 Masters Cup coverage and much, much more!
*Story originally published by our friends at Ultiworld Disc Golf, written by Steve Hill. Follow Ultiworld Disc Golf on Facebook and Twitter for 2016 Masters Cup coverage and much, much more!
How many throws under par did someone need to be to finish with a rating of 1000+? Trick question. DeLa is so punishing that even though a majority of the top players in the world played the course today in near-perfect conditions, a final score of one OVER par was rated 1001, unofficially.
When the last putt of a multi-day disc golf event hits the chains, take a look around at the staff and the volunteers. They look pretty happy, right? If you’ve ever ran or helped put on a tournament, you probably know the feeling. The weight being lifted off your shoulders. The joy of knowing that soon you’ll be back home with your family and friends, sleeping comfortably and stress-free. It’s weird to think that after months and months of prep work, all you want once the event finally begins, is for it to end.
In the ball golf and disc golf world, Saturday is often referred to as “moving day”. In any Friday-Saturday-Sunday event, the way you play on Saturday often plays the biggest role in determining, to at least some degree, where you will end up overall at the end of the day on Sunday. Whether you play well and move up the ranks, or play terribly and move down, it will likely impact the way you carry yourself for the final round(s) both mentally and physically.
The first day of a PDGA National Tour disc golf event is always interesting. Today was no different, as the first of three rounds of the “Steady” Ed Memorial Masters Cup took place on the DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course here in beautiful Santa Cruz, CA. Playing DeLaveaga is a seemingly endless battle on the mind and body. The easy holes aren’t easy and the difficult holes can be devastating. A tournament played on this course means there is no favorite. It can and will make or break competitors in any and every division.
For many, the “Steady” Ed Memorial Masters Cup is the one tournament a year you simply can’t miss. Even if you’ve never been to Santa Cruz or played the infamous DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course, it’s still not that difficult to understand why. Whether you are walking the Santa Cruz boardwalk after a round or standing on the tee pad of hole 27 at DeLaveaga, dubbed the “top of the world” by locals, it’s easy to see why people travel from all over the world for this event. California is truly a hot spot for disc golf, and with that comes great courses and incredibly talented golfers.
After 3 days of watching the best players in the world at the Steady Ed Memorial Masters Cup, I can tell you with confidence that DeLaveaga is truly one of the most challenging and brutal courses in the world, both mentally and physically. At the same time, it’s also one of the most awe-inspiring. Everything about DeLa is so close to aesthetically perfect that it could and should be considered a work of art. It’s beauty is paired perfectly with its difficulty, and the combination brings out the best in those lucky enough to get to play it.
Day 2 at The Steady Ed Memorial Masters Cup was yet another gorgeous day with perfect weather. When the first cards of the day were teeing off it was brisk and foggy but by 9AM everything was back to the normal Nor Cal climate. The wind was again a non-factor today and one would expect scores to improve compared to round 1. Despite all odds, for the most part, they didn’t.
