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2021 MVP OPEN – FINAL ROUND RECAP

By September 5, 2021November 29th, 2022No Comments

Sunday’s final round of the MVP Open at Maple Hill started off with sunny skies and gentle winds, but as the day went on, the weather started to turn; a premonition for what would go down in both divisions of the DGPT Elite Series event.

In the MPO division, Eagle McMahon saw his 4-stroke lead over the rest of the field quickly evaporate, while Catrina Allen teed 0ff with a 2-stroke lead and found herself down a stroke shortly after. With DGPT points, cash winnings, and a beautiful wooden trophy on the line, competitors would have to weather the winds if they wanted to take down the tournament.

As the chase card started their round, Ricky Wysocki (-19) came right out of the gate carding birdies on 5 of the first 6 holes, making a push for the lead, while Calvin Heimburg (-16) was doing the same after a pair of birdies and an ace on Hole 5.

While the chase card was heating up, the lead card was having some troubles getting their rounds going. Eagle McMahon struggled through the early holes, carding a bogey and double-bogey early, unable to score early, while Matthew Orum (-16) and Joel Freeman (-14) both had their own hiccups and not able to string together a strong start. However, Adam Hammes (-22) stepped up and tore through the challenging Gold layout, earning birdies on 7 of the front 9 holes. His and Wysocki’s hot starts, coupled with McMahon’s slow one, made for an exciting push down the stretch. Other players like Matt Bell (-16), Andrew Marwede (-14), and Heimburg tried to make a push for the podium, but ultimately fell just short.

Adam Hammes took down the MVP Open at Maple Hill, his 3rd major win of the season, after winning the Santa Cruz Masters Cup in May and the Resistance Discs Open in June.

Finding himself down a stroke or two down the stretch, McMahon had a few chances to tie it back up but missed some long putts. After Wysocki took a bogey on Hole 16, he would need to birdie Hole 18 to have a chance, but his upshot into the tight island green flew long and he would have to settle for a podium finish. And while McMahon struggled to earn strokes back on the last 6 holes, Hammes carded 3 birdies and separated himself from the rest of the field, taking down the MVP Open and adding to his impressive season.

MPO Final Round Notes:

  • Thomas Gilbert (-13) shot the hot round of the tournament, at -10, while Cory Ellis (-9) lead with 12 birdies, a 67% conversion rate.
  • Gilbert was also 4-for-4 from C2, hitting two putts from 38-ft and two from 60-ft, and gained 5.80 strokes on the field in putting.
  • Ezra Aderhold (-7) lead the division in most strokes gained from Tee to Green at 7.68, with Adam Hammes (-22) behind at 7.44.
  • Calvin Heimburg (-16) and Gavin Babcock (+5) were both able to card aces on Sunday’s final round, Heimburg on Hole 5 and Babcock on Hole 16.
  • Every player in the field carded at least a bogey during Sunday’s round.

 

In the FPO division, things started off with a bang as Hailey King (+7) started the round with great shots and two birdies, while the rest of the lead card only took pars, and Catrina Allen (-4) and Kona Star Panis (+3) took bogeys on Hole 3. In just a few holes, Allen and Panis watched as King jumped both of them and took sole possession of the lead; a lead that was short-lived, however. King’s pace and patience quickly fell apart as she found herself +5 over the next 5 holes. Panis righted the ship with a string of pars, and Allen struck with a pair of birdies on Holes 7 and 8. While King was falling down the leaderboard, Paige Pierce (+4) was doing the opposite. After a triple-bogey on Hole 5, Paige dug in and scored on a few more holes in the middle of the course, and finished strong with birdies on Holes 17 and 18. Her 5 birdies on the round wasn’t enough to overcome her two bogeys, double-bogey and triple-bogey, or Allen’s or Kona’s previous scores, and ultimately she was able to claim 3rd place.

Catrina Allen, fresh off a win at the Delaware Disc Golf Challenge, picked up her 5th win of the season at the MVP Open. Her other wins include Belton, Jonesboro, and the World Championship.

With her two birdies in the middle of the round, and her precision drives allowing her easy up-and-downs for pars for most of the rest of the course, Allen’s lead proved insurmountable. She finished strong, carding two more birdies and a few pars, as she ended up taking down the tournament with a 7 stroke lead over Panis, who struggled to score strokes back, and even gave some up during a rough stretch from Holes 13 to 16.

FPO Final Round Notes:

  • Catrina Allen (-4) and Heather Young (+9) were the only players to shoot below par on Sunday, both carding -1 for the round.
  • Paige Pierce (+4) lead with the best birdie conversion at 28%, with 5 birdies.
  • Pierce also lead with the most strokes gained from Tee to Green, with 7.41.
  • Ellen Widboom (+13) was 3 for 5 from C2, hitting putts from 38-ft, 49-ft, and 60-ft.
  • 8 players were able to play a clean OB-free round during the final day at Maple Hill.

 

Follow next weekend as the Disc Golf Pro Tour heads north to Smugglers’ Notch in Jeffersonville, VT for the Green Mountain Championship, presented by Upper Park Disc Golf. The Disc Golf Network will be broadcasting all 4 days of action, starting September 9th at 1:00 pm EST. Follow along with UDisc Live and the PDGA.