Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/06/24/2021-pro-worlds-keith-continues-to-assault-the-fort/
Emerson Keith at the 2021 Pro Worlds. Photo: PDGA
Ultiworld Disc Golf’s coverage of the 2021 PDGA Pro World Championships is presented by Skybreed Discs, a top online retailer and preferred vendor of the 2021 Ledgestone Insurance Open, and Aria Discs, a new disc golf brand making discs designed for beginners.
Off the golf course and into the woods, the Open division’s A pool was chipping through The Fort on Wednesday for the first of three rounds on the layout.
- Jumping up six spots and into a tie for the lead at 18-under par total was Emerson Keith with a 1080-rated 10-under par hot round. Keith, who won the Utah Open on the same courses just a week and a half ago, was 10-under through 13 holes before parring the final five. Keith did a lot of damage on the front 9 by hitting five Circle 2 putts, four for birdie.
- Tied with Keith after a 9-under par round is Calvin Heimburg, who would have had the highlight of the round with his 70-foot circus putt on hole 5 if not for James Conrad’s ace. Heimburg’s 6-under par back 9 helped him catch Keith, and was topped off with an edge of circle birdie on 18 to get a share of first. Through 36 holes, Heimburg leads the event in strokes gained tee-to-green (12.21), fairway hits (95%) and C2 in regulation rate (83%).
- Seven players are tied in third at 15-under par: Conrad, Paul McBeth, Cale Leiviska, Mason Ford, Kevin Jones, Nate Sexton, and Ricky Wysocki. McBeth and Leiviska were bogey-free for the day, Jones came up big with a jump putt birdie on the elevated hole 15 to finish strong, and Sexton turned around a double-bogey on hole 14 to stay in the chase.
- Eagle McMahon didn’t help his growing, and probably unfairly given, reputation as an average woods golf player. He fell 16 positions into a tie for 23rd at 9-under par total with a 1-under par round. McMahon was birdie-free and 4-over through eight holes, but starting on hole 9 would not record another blemish or miss a C1X putt.