Catrina Allen joins PDGA Radio on the heels of her victory at the Ledgestone Insurance Open. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
Steve and Sara chat PDGA awards (2:00) before Catrina Allen joins the podcast to talk about a “new swagger,” her impact on women coming up in the sport, and where she sees the next phase of her career (9:40).
Catrina Allen has won two PDGA National Tour events in 2019, while Calvin Heimburg took down one and hasn't finished outside the top 5. Photos: Alyssa Van Lanen
Florida native Calvin Heimburg finished 41st in the 2018 PDGA National Tour points race, a byproduct of not hitting the road until late in the season and only playing in three of the circuit’s six tournaments.
Catrina Allen kept it positive, and it resulted in a seven-shot advantage at the GBO. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
EMPORIA, Kansas -- Sometimes as a disc golfer, you can live a charmed life: Maybe that pesky tree gives you a generous kick up the fairway, or that putt you should have missed just somehow manages to stick to the last available bit of chain.
Catrina Allen lived her own version of fortune Thursday at the Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open, as her circle 1 putting success dropped 51 percent from her round one performance but her lead still grew by 133 percent.
Two-time Glass Blown Open Champion Catrina Allen got hot late Wednesday at the Emporia Country Club. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
EMPORIA, Kansas -- Catrina Allen wasn’t going to let a sluggish start slow her down Wednesday at the Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open.
After a 15-minute backup on hole 2 found her playing hacky sack instead of disc golf, the two-time GBO Champ snapped back to life with a scorching back nine to log a 4-under par 60 at the Emporia Country Club, a mark that has her in control early at this four-day PDGA National Tour event. Jessica Weese’s 1-under par 63 put her in second place, while Jennifer Allen, Rebecca Cox, and Paige Bjerkaas sit in third place at 2-over.
Catrina Allen kept a level head and added to her lead at the Las Vegas Challenge. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
HENDERSON, Nev. – On paper, Catrina Allen’s Las Vegas Challenge performance thus far has resembled a weekend vacation at the local amusement park.
The Minnesota native’s fairway hit rates have undulated: 78 percent in round one, 61 percent in round two, 84 percent in Saturday’s third round; circle 2 in regulation (67 percent, 39 percent, 83 percent) has been a loop-de-loop; circle 1x putting (0 percent in round three) a death-defying drop ride.
Catrina Allen's 994-rated hot round catapulted her into first place at the Las Vegas Challenge's halfway mark. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
HENDERSON, Nev. – Frigid conditions here this week have found Catrina Allen sporting a Queen of the North-style look, a red down vest with a fur-lined hood that has combined fashion and function. It’s so fashionable, in fact, that as she stood on hole 13’s tee yesterday at Wildhorse Golf Club’s Innova Course, she started to reminisce – and quiz her cardmates – about watching America’s Next Top Model.
Catrina Allen again fired off a late-round flurry of scoring to maintain her lead at the Ed Headrick Disc Golf Hall of Fame Classic. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
Catrina Allen hugs Paige Pierce after the pair shared another classic showdown. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
ESTACADA, Ore. – Time travel may not be possible yet, but try telling that to Catrina Allen.
A late-round hot streak and a one-hole playoff had Sunday’s final round of the Beaver State Fling feeling a lot like the same tournament here in 2016. Just like two years back, Allen emerged victorious, knocking off Paige Pierce in extra frames to rack up her first National Tour victory of the season.
Catrina Allen used a full complement of shots to take an early lead at the Beaver State Fling. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
ESTACADA, Ore. – Catrina Allen is standing 100 feet from the basket at Milo McIver West’s first hole. She’s already finished her two rounds at the Beaver State Fling, but she’s waiting for one more card to wrap up before she can make it all the way to her car and put this nearly 12-hour day to bed.
Snow blanketed the tee pads Saturday morning at the Jonesboro Open. Photo: DGPT
If the story from day one of the Jonesboro Open was course records, Saturday was about weather records.
Springtime in Arkansas turned into a winter wonderland overnight and the mercury dipped to 28 degrees, matching the record low for the same day from 1994. Morning tee shots resembled slap shots as players slid across pads, and even when the snow let up the wind did not.
Paige Pierce eyes her line during the final round of the Las Vegas Challenge. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
HENDERSON, Nev. – A birdie from Paige Pierce there. A return from Catrina Allen there.
The Open Women’s leaderboard ping-ponged during the final round of the Las Vegas Challenge, with Allen and Pierce exchanging volleys through the first two thirds of the 8,582-foot Innova course. Neither player would yield, as Pierce erased some early out-of-bounds strokes with crushing drives and long putts while Allen went station to station, collecting pars remaining steady.
Catrina Allen tees off during round three of the Las Vegas Challenge. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
HENDERSON, Nev – An inconsistent day of scoring here at the Adidas Terrex course led to a familiar scenario for the final round of the Las Vegas Challenge: Like so many times before, Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen are tied atop the leaderboard and headed for a Sunday showdown.
Paige Pierce shot up the leaderboard Friday morning. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
HENDERSON, Nev. – Though we’re mere miles from the famed Strip here at the Las Vegas Challenge, seven is rarely a lucky number on the course. In racking up that many out-of-bounds throws during her 938-rated opening round Thursday, Paige Pierce didn’t look like the high roller she normally is and instead found herself in an eight-shot hole.
It didn’t take long, though, for the natural order to be restored.
Washington native Sai Ananda surprised with her 2-under par 56. Photo: PDGA Media
HENDERSON, Nev. – What’s in a name?
For 21-year-old Sai Ananda, who started off the PDGA National Tour season with a 2-under par 56 opening round here at the Las Vegas Challenge, it’s everything.
“I think my parents did a pretty good job in naming me, the first name being a martial arts weapon and the second name being an East Indian word for bliss,” the Washington state native said. “I’ve kind of taken that into a disc golf philosophy in trying to be aggressive with my pleasant demeanor.”
The long awaited first round of the 2015 Maple Hill Open is officially in the books and as expected, it was truly a great day of disc golf. Maple Hill Gold is the kind of place where unexpected names can reach the top of the leaderboard but that wasn’t the case today. Two very familiar names will sit atop the lead card tomorrow, current PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Champions Paul McBeth #27523 and Catrina Allen #44184.
Paul McBeth #27523 and Paige Pierce #29190 top the PDGA Year-end 2014 World Rankings. McBeth has completed the most dominant year ever since World Rankings were started in 2005 (Ken Climo #4297 likely has had as dominant of a year before World Rankings started). McBeth averaged just slightly under first place in the tournament and ratings elements used to calculate World Rankings. Nathan Doss #11794 ranked second, averaging around fourth place for the year. RIchard Wysocki #38008 ranked sixth may have had the second best season if you eliminate his finish at the 2014 USDGC.
One way to ensure a victory at any disc golf tournament; start the final round in or close to the lead and then throw the lowest score of the week in your entire division. It’s a strategy that you can’t really argue with, right? Paul McBeth #27523 and Catrina Allen #44184 did just that today as they took home extremely impressive victories at the 2014 European Masters, the sixth of ten PDGA Major Events that take place throughout the year.
Who cares? Don’t answer that. It’s not really a question. It’s a concept that Tournament Director and head of Vibram Disc Golf, Steve Dodge #22042, came up with for the Maple Hill Open. It’s even written on a sign as you drive past all the other signs advertising the event leading up to the Maple Hill entrance. The point of “who cares?” is that disc golf events should be bigger and more important than they are today.
The long awaited start of the 32nd Kansas City Wide Open came to fruition this morning at Wyandotte County Park on the Kansas side of Kansas City. Thanks to a ton of prep work by the tournament staff, the course was primed and ready to go for championship caliber disc golf. The air horns sounded off right on time for the shotgun start, and the 84 players were lucky enough to tee off and play all day in nearly perfect weather conditions.
When the last putt of a multi-day disc golf event hits the chains, take a look around at the staff and the volunteers. They look pretty happy, right? If you’ve ever ran or helped put on a tournament, you probably know the feeling. The weight being lifted off your shoulders. The joy of knowing that soon you’ll be back home with your family and friends, sleeping comfortably and stress-free. It’s weird to think that after months and months of prep work, all you want once the event finally begins, is for it to end.
