Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/08/06/ledgestone-highlight-eagle-propels-pierce-into-first/
Paige Pierce at the 2021 Great Lakes Open. Photo: DGPT
The Open Women’s division was the first to take on Northwood Black at the Ledgestone Insurance Open and gave us a glimpse of how tough the track will play.
- Paige Pierce was feeling the bite on the Black course early by starting her round at 3-over through five holes with no birdies, despite hitting four Circle 1X putts and a 50-foot par save. Her fortunes turned, however, on hole 6 when Pierce threw what she described as one of her best shots of all time. After a good drive and a positional play on her second shot of the 701-foot par 5, Pierce put a full flex on a sidearm from a standstill to make the last corner and beat the final guardian trees near the basket to hit chains dead center and land in the bucket for a 230-foot eagle. From there Pierce kept up the hot putter, only missing one putt from inside C1 on the day, and was 7-under par from hole 6 through hole 18. She finished the day at 4-under par in first place with a 1010-rated effort.
- Three strokes off the lead in second is Hailey King at 1-under par. King was actually sitting at 3-under heading into the final three holes and ahead of Pierce’s pace, but had two bogeys to two birdies from Pierce.
- Off the strength of two putts made from outside C2 for long birdies, Texan Maria Oliva is solo third at 1-over par. Oliva steadied an up-and-down front 9 and at one point on the back half of the course had six straight pars.
- A logjam in fourth at 2-over par includes Missy Gannon, Sarah Hokom, Macie Walker, and Heather Young. Young, for her part, was perfect from C1X on eight attempts, and was 2-of-3 from C2 as well on the day. She leads the division in strokes gained putting.