By Jerry Roth
It was “Moving Day” round three at the Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by Discraft. The women’s (FPO) division returned to Northwood Disc golf course, where in order to score, the ladies had to throw cleanly through gaps, hit landing zones, and take what the heavily wooded course gave them. Luckily the gusting winds took a break and the pros had the opportunity to score big. There were two races moving into the third round. The first being the hunt to become the Ledgestone champion and the second was to finish top three. The Ledgestone is a prestigious tournament with great payout so where you place could become as important as outright winning. Many tournaments have been decided by the moving day round scores. The women Jockeyed for a great position to begin the final day.
Catrina Allen
Catrina Allen doesn’t really know how to lose at the Ledgestone Insurance Open winning four consecutive years in a row. I asked her what her secret recipe for winning this event so many times and she jokingly remarked that, “For years the Ledgestone has always been my little secret honey hole.” The word about the Ledgestone event is definitely out as the FPO division is stacked this year. Catrina still had the undeniable edge as her past play remains the benchmark for all other competitors to reach. Catrina played the first round relatively smart but relatively safe. She never really found herself in too much trouble with a scrambling percentage over 75 %, she had a very clean card but needed land a few more birdies to rise among the leaderboard. With a good round on day two, Catrina could easily find herself right back in the hunt. She finished her round one with an even (0) score and leaving herself in eighth place tieSometimes getting warm and then turning hot can happen to any great player and Catrina counted on that happening at Northwood. She mixed in some birdies early in her round trying to find her comfort level in the lush scenery. Most holes will swallow up a disc if the thrower isnt cautious. Unfortunately, Catrina’s uneven round kept her from advancing as much as she intended. She ended her round with a +2 and sitting in sixth place.
Paige Pierce
Paige Pierce has all the skills and grit to turn her game around and take the tournament by storm. Although she was down by a large margin, which only meant that she had little room for error. Starting hot and ending hot was her only option to make waves during the third round at the Ledgestone. What she did do was put together a very strong round. By hole 11, Paige sets things right again writing down three birdies in a row including an impressive three on a 606 foot hole 13. With all of her good play, Paige seen her share of high scores that made including a very rare eight on hole 18. She finished her second round with a -2, thirteen strokes behind the leader.
Sarah Hokom
Sarah Hokom has the reputation of playing great disc golf in the woods. Her trusty sidearm throws seem to cut through the gaps like a hot knife through butter. Sarah saw her opportunity on moving day to do just that and she finally saw the light of day bringing her overall score under par for the first time all week by the eighth hole. Did Sarah stop there? Not a chance! Sarah played inspired disc golf carding eight birdies to bring her final score to -3, settling nicely into fourth place.
Ragna Bygde Lewis
Ragna Bygde has played great disc golf all week and if her third round start is any indication, Ragna has come to play and come to make a move. Ragna started off the Northwood course absolutely sizzling carding nine birdies total for the day to put her back in the tournament. She also managed to have the hot round of the day, placing her in a great position for the final round. She ended her day with a score of -11 and in third place.
Valarie Jenkins
Valarie Jenkins just knows how to play disc golf at a high level. Perhaps it is in her blood, born into a disc golf royal family. She has seen the ups and downs of the sport and she’s also seen how quickly the tide can turn. Val has seen her struggles during round three, mixing four bogeys on the front nine. While Valarie attempted to take back the lead from Jessica with some timely birdies, she had difficulty competing with Jessica’s very clean card. The gap between the two continued throughout the round until Jessica carded two bogeys late and opened the door for Val. Valarie finished her round with a -14 in second place and only one stroke away from the lead.
Valarie Jenkins: Round 3 Stats
Jessica Weese
Jessica Weese has the brashness of a young player, but she also owns the savvy of a veteran. Can she always count on making the right decision on the course? Perhaps not yet, but she has matched Valarie Jenkins every step of the tournament and that was no small feat. They switched position several times and if the swings continue it’s anyone’s event to win. The pros understand that often times carding a par is sometimes better than going for the circle with risk. Jessica has put together a clean round by taking a birdie when it was offered and accepting a par when it was prudent. She did find some problems late in her round on holes 18 and 19. She found her large lead dwindle to a mere one stroke lead.
Jessica Weese: Round 3 Stats
The third round at the Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by Discraft saw Jessica Weese and Valarie Jenkins battle it out to the very last hole. With one round left, it’s anyone’s guess who will take home the title. The feature card for the final round will be Jessica Weese -15, Valarie Jenkins -14, Ragna Bygde -11, and Sarah Hokom -3. The exciting conclusion to this amazing tournament will end today. For more information and daily recaps check out Lisopen.com
