Only one round of the 2016 Beaver State Fling presented by KEEN remains, and it’s shaping up to be yet another nail-biting finish on the 2016 PDGA National Tour. Coming off a tough loss on the final hole to Paul McBeth #27523 at the European Open last weekend, Ricky Wysocki #38008 moved into the lead after Round 2 and has continuously held off his opponents, despite incredible efforts and miraculous feats.

One such feat was accomplished by another Round 3 lead card competitor Philo Brathwaite #26416. After a perfect drive on the 6th hole of Milo West, an 850’ par 5, he let go of his second throw. It was a full-power flex anhyzer, thrown with the hope that it would hold its high-speed turn long enough to glide the length of the uphill fairway, clear the corner, and fade back towards the green.

As the chase card waited to tee off one hole ahead, the faint but familiar sound of a disc hitting chains peaked their curiosity. After taking a quick peak, Nikko Locastro #11534 confirmed enthusiastically, but with wonder. “There’s a disc in the basket,” said Nikko. But there was no one in sight, as the green cannot be seen from the fairway of Hole 6, nor can the fairway be seen from the green.

Philo Brathwaite's albatross on Hole 6 of Milo West at the 2016 Beaver State Fling.
Video courtesy of Central Coast Disc Golf.

The lead card and the gallery that followed eventually made their way towards the green, and cheers erupted as Philo realized that his second throw on the par 5 wasn’t just good, it was in the basket. Philo had just carded an albatross, a rare feat in any form of golf, consequently making him the co-leader, tied with Ricky.

Paul McBeth’s 49 – Too Little Too Late?

Anyone that’s followed the career of Paul McBeth, especially in recent years, is used to seeing the 4X World Champion put himself in the position of needing a come-from-behind victory. Many would argue, myself included, that he thrives on that pressure. But, after two rounds on the first day that left him 11 strokes off the lead, he may have dug himself into an unescapable hole.

Teeing off on the 5th card this afternoon, Paul needed to do what he does best; shoot the hot round, and do so with authority. To no one’s surprise, he did.

Paul’s front nine was, in short, ridiculous. He carded seven birdies, an eagle, and just one par, with par being on one of the most difficult par 3s on the course, the 485’ Hole 8, including a basket placement on a very small island green.

“You can’t ever count him out,” said Nate Sexton #18824 before the round. “He always has the ability to come back. But he can't do it alone. He’ll need a little help from us to pull it off,” Nate said, suggesting that because of the deficit faced, Paul would need to shoot an incredible round and be lucky enough to have the players ahead of him do just the opposite.

Click the image to see all Round 3 hole-by-hole scores.

Paul finished the round with a 49 (-12), one stroke shy of the Milo West course record of 48, shot by both Gregg Barsby #15857 and Barry Schultz #6840 in years past.

With nearly perfect weather, even a 49 wasn’t enough to put Paul on the lead card for the final round tomorrow afternoon. Bogey-free rounds shot by all four men on the lead card meant that they weren’t making the mistakes he needed them to.

Philo’s albatross, combined with seven other birdies, allowed him to finish with a round of 51 (-10). Kyle Crabtree #25596 and Nate Sexton finished at 55 and 56, respectively. Consequently, all four men that began the round on the lead card will return to the lead card for the fourth and final round tomorrow.

Ricky Wysocki now leads by three over Philo, with Sexton and Crabtree an additional three strokes back. McBeth, Locastro, and Devan Owens all share the 5th place position, seven strokes off the lead, and they’ll be joined by Paul Ulibarri #27171 to round out the chase card.

Catrina Allen On Pace for 5th Straight NT Victory

Thus far, 2016 has certainly been Catrina Allen’s year. Influenced by Sports Psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella, changes in her mental game have allowed her to compete at an entirely different level than years past. In the four National Tour events that have taken place so far, she has a combined margin of victory of 38, 37 of which have come from the last three NT events alone.

Paige Pierce #29190 is looking to put an end to that winning streak, despite playing with an injured throwing hand. Playing on Milo East this afternoon for Round 3 with Catrina starting one ahead of Paige, neither of them wanted to be the first to lose a stroke.

Eight holes in, their scores were identical. When Catrina carded a bogey, so did Paige. When Paige carded a birdie, so did Catrina. The Hole 9 was the first to shake things up, a par 4 known simply as “The Genius”.

Getting to the tee of "The Genius" requires a steep uphill hike up a trail, leading to a tee shot that plays through a narrow window before sailing 395’ down the hill to the basket. Discs that fade out too early have the risk of finishing out of bounds over the road on the left. Discs played too far right can end up in the heavy rough, or worse, in the Clackamas River. Even discs thrown at the right speed and height can still get caught in one of the tall trees scattered ominously along the fairway.

Milo East - Catrina Allen looking down the fairway of "The Genius" towards the green.

After a perfectly crushed tee shot that left Catrina in range for a long eagle opportunity, Paige’s driver clipped a tree, leaving her well short of a favorable lie. Settling for par, Paige lost a stroke to Catrina for the first time. Unfortunately, the pattern repeated on Hole 10 and 11, and once more on Hole 18. 

Catrina now leads over Paige by five sitting at a total of five over par heading into the final round tomorrow back on Milo West. Joining them will be Paige Bjerkass #33833 and Melodie Bailey #34751 who, although tied overall with Zoe Andyke #39504, shot a better Round 3 score, snagging Zoe’s lead card spot for the final round.

Live scores will be up on pdgalive.com starting at approximately 12:00pm PDT/3:00pm PDT. Follow the PDGA on Facebook and Twitter for more links and updates about coverage prior to the round tomorrow morning.

What surprises will the Sunday action bring for the 2016 Beaver State Fling presented by KEEN? Only time will tell! Milo awaits!