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USDGC's Pot of Gold

USDGC's Pot of Gold

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - 06:15

Pot of Gold Tourney Deposits 10 More Qualifiers

As the disc golf season tees off for most of the country, qualifying for the 2011 USDGC continues right alongside with ten disc golfers in New Orleans securing their spot at Winthrop this fall.

The Pot of Gold tournament, a PDGA C-tier tournament held March 12th, ushered-in entrants from the PDGA's Region 2, which encompasses Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

The 10 disc golfers with the best DGU "Performance" scores from each regional qualifying tournament receive invites to the 2011 USDGC this October. Ten have already earned spots frm last December's wild card qualifier in Texas.

For a full rundown on the DGU (Disc Golf United) Performance Leaderboard for the Pot of Gold and all other qualifiers visit Regional Qualifying Results page at usdgc.com

Those getting the nod in New Orleans included two open players, three pro master golfers, and five advanced competitors.

850-rated advanced competitor John Key of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., took top honors on DGU's Performance Leaderboard after tallying 15 strokes below his projected score for both rounds.

Tournament director Steve Timm said the advanced players were especially stoked about qualifying for the 2011 US Championship.

“The ones that had their sights set on it are so excited. They can't wait to go play,” said Timm, whose tournament raised $2,325 for the Teen Life Counts Suicide Prevention charity.

Others torching the course included 904-rated Derek Drew, shooting 11 strokes below his projected in the advanced division and Rivers Sherrod, a 974 rated pro, who beat his projected by 10 total strokes.

Rounding out the USDGC invites were: pro masters winner Mike Kernan (-10), advanced champion Ricky Martin (-9), pro master Kevin Nuckley (-7), pro master Brad Wells (-6), open champion John Fowler (-6), advanced player R.B. Garza (-5), and advanced golfer Stephen Harrison (-5).

The Performance Leaderboard, adapted specifically for 2011 USDGC qualifying, is conducted separately from the tournament standings.

During regional qualifiers, each player with a PDGA rating of 850 or higher who plays the same course layout as the open division is eligible for USDGC qualifying. Eligible players receive projected scores for each round through a combination of their player rating and the course's layout. After each round, players are ranked regardless of division according to how their projected score and actual score compare.

Timm said the qualifying format change from previous years added an element of excitement for the players. For them, it was almost like being in a race without knowing where the finish line was, making every shot important, he said.

“That made it exciting,” Timm said.

There are so many players that just want to be a part of the USDGC atmosphere and now a few more have their ticket, said Timm.

“I just think it will be a great time for everybody. I really do,” Timm said.

The next USDGC qualifiers take place April 16th -17th at the Atlanta Open (Region 1) and the Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open in Emporia, Kansas (Region 6).

Visit USDGC.com for more information on qualifying and which region is closest to you.