Kona Star Panis was dominant in first her PDGA Elite Series win. Photo: Brittany Dickerson / DGPT

WACO, Texas – Sprinting 77 feet down the green of the 53rd hole of the weekend, Nikko Locastro let everyone know with a fist pump, a shout and a spin that he wasn’t going to let this one slip away.

Kona Panis delivered a message of her own and did so through a dominant 54-hole victory.

Nikko Locastro celebrates after grabbing the WACO title. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

Emotions were high for both as Locastro and Panis grabbed the titles at the Disc Golf Pro Tour – Waco Annual Charity Open this weekend at Brazos East Park.

Locastro’s throw in on the 17th capped a dramatic, down-to-the-wire finish in the Men’s Open field for his second PDGA Elite Series win in the past nine months.

Panis, meanwhile, established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the FPO division with her first Elite Series win.

Rising Star

On the 18th green, Panis stood alone and reflected as she waited to tap in her putt to cap her 12-stroke win.

“Colten (Montgomery) told me when I was walking to the green that it was a 12-stroke lead,” Panis said. “As soon as I laid up, I was just in tears. I took a moment to take it in.”

The leaderboard in the FPO division didn’t change all weekend: No. 1 Kona Star Panis.

PHOTOS: 2021 DGPT - Waco Annual Charity Open »

Panis was dominant in nearly every category in the wire-to-wire victory – strokes gained in tee to green, strokes gained in putting, Circle 1 in regulation, Circle 2 in regulation, birdie percentage and scramble rate, according to UDisc.

“I just understood my game. I knew what I needed to throw on each tee, where I wanted to land and how I could get a birdie,” Panis said. “Preparation was big. My putting confidence was big. I just felt like I knew I was going to make the putt so I didn’t worry about the drive. That just gave me all of the confidence.”

Panis came into the final round with a commanding 10-stroke lead and didn’t let off of the gas. After building that to 13 strokes at the midway point of the final round, she bounced back from back-to-back bogies with a pair of birdies. She did that again on hole 16 with a huge drive.

It was all gas, no brakes.

An emotional Panis on the 18th green. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

“My mentality coming into (Sunday) was really just putting myself mentally into round one; that I still had work to do, that I still needed to play well,” Panis said. “There were some shots where I went out of bounds or didn’t do well and I got kind of upset, even though I had the lead. I still have expectations for how I want to shoot.”

Panis grabbed a win earlier this year at the DGPT’s All-Star Weekend exhibition event, which featured both doubles and singles play. Her win at WACO solidified her rise squarely into the mix in the FPO field.

“I won at the All-Star Weekend, but I didn’t do it by myself,” she said. “Coming to Waco and saying that I did it over three rounds by myself is amazing. It’s a huge confidence boost for me. It’s awesome. So cool.”

So emotional, as well.

The emotion was visible as she finally relaxed and soaked it all in. That same emotion was visible from her fellow competitors, who cheered from across the pond on the 18th. It was the same spot where a year ago she celebrated with her boyfriend and touring partner, Montgomery, as he grabbed his first PDGA Elite Series victory as the COVID-19 pandemic took the sport and world by storm.

“It’s crazy that we were here, literally right here, when the world kind of stopped,” Panis said. “I feel like we’re here now and this is just the start of my career. I feel like this is the start of something really cool and great for us. It’s just going to be great from here on out.”

High Drama

Locastro entered Sunday’s finale with a slim, one-stroke lead and fired out of the gate with seven-straight birdies to start, looking to turn the third round into a victory lap of his own.

But Cale Leiviska didn’t go quietly.

Leiviska caught fire with five-straight birdies on holes 4 through 8, including a 70-foot putt on six. As Locastro cooled, including his lone bogey of the round on 12, Leiviska pulled to within a stroke on hole 14. Locastro made the correction from his lone bogey of the second round on 15 and Leiviska matched the par with a circles edge putt.

Cale Leiviska surged but fell just one stroke short of the WACO crown. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

They matched again on 16 with birdies, setting the stage for a dramatic finish on the one-two punch of 17 and 18.

Leiviska pured his drive on 17 to the ideal spot to attack the peninsula green – surrounded by water on the left and OB on the right. Locastro’s drive skipped back in bounds to a less than stellar spot and his upshot left him a 77-foot look at the birdie three. Leiviska had thrown to 27 feet out on his second shot.

Then, with a gallery of his peers back up the hill, Locastro threw in the 77-foot birdie, setting off a raucous celebration from the Tour veteran as his raced to grab his putter. Leiviska connected for his birdie as well for a one-stroke deficit with one to play.

Locastro stuck to his gameplan on the water-carry 18th with a safe drive to the left. Leiviska went for the green but turned his drive to the right for a 100-foot run at the tie, which sailed left into the water.

Then, the dramatics were over and Locastro left the 18th green with his second DGPT win in the past nine months after grabbing the win at the 2020 Preserve Championship on Leiviska’s property in Minnesota.

Texas' own Bradley Williams grabbed a third-place finish. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

Podium Finishes

Texas native Bradley Williams, who owns 121 PDGA sanctioned victories, including a PDGA National Tour win at the 2016 Vibram Open, turned in a steady performance throughout the weekend for a third-place finish. Williams went bogey-free in the final round for a 22-under performance, one shot back of Leiviska and four back of Locastro.

Ohn Scoggins turned in the hot round on Sunday for a second-place finish. Photo: Hayden Henry / PDGA

On the FPO side, Ohn Scoggins continued her meteoric return to competition with a second-place finish. Scoggins, who grabbed a fourth-place finish at the DGPT – Las Vegas Challenge, fired off the hot round of the weekend at 8-under par on Sunday to surge into second place at 4-under. After opening with a bogey, Scoggins went 9-under over the last 11 holes.

Sarah Hokom followed with a 5-under round for third place.

The PDGA Elite Series Returns March 26 at the Texas State Disc Golf Championships in Tyler, Texas.