Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2018/05/15/weekend-rewind-pierce-stays-undefeated-daisy-chains/
The name Daisy Chains may conjure images of flower children and innocence however the competition during the Women’s Global Event marquee tournament was anything but tame.
Boasting the highest-rated group of women on the weekend, Paige Pierce overcame a sluggish second round in Watsonville, California to top Sarah Hokom and remain perfect on the season. Hokom has been Pierce’s most constant challenger all year but has yet to put it together over an entire tournament to best the world’s top-ranked woman.
Fortunes looked like they may have changed after Hokom’s 984-rated second round gave her a three stroke advantage going into the final 18 holes.
Instead, Pierce made the necessary corrections on Sunday and Hokom slowed down, with Pierce shooting eight strokes better and taking home the victory by four strokes.
Valarie Jenkins, in just her second significant action of 2018, took home third by a four stroke margin. Jenkins is joining the tour just in time for the west coast swing.
While Hokom may not have secured the tournament victory, she did prevail overall as WGE Champion. Ratings from the first two rounds of each of the 80 participating tournaments are combined and averaged to determine the player’s "Global Score” and crown a champ. Hokom’s first two rounds averaged 981.5, besting second place by four points.
In that second place position was Kona Panis, who blasted a 1010-rated first round at the Cowgirl Classic in Chino, California on her way to a ten stroke victory. Two maybe unfamiliar FPO names, Kristen Parsley and Kelly Boyce, finished third and fifth respectively on the global scores, both playing at Discin Darlin’s @ the Blockhouse in Virginia. Pierce finished fourth.
[caption id=“attachment_8181” align=“aligncenter” width=“550”]
Catrina Allen holds her May Flower Open trophy. Photo by Allen.[/caption]
Catrina Allen won the May Flower Open in Fountain Hills, Arizona in a playoff over Colleen Thompson, but finished 0.5 points behind Thompson in the global score. Ratings are crazy.
The KC Diva Spring Feeva in Missouri was the largest tournament of the WGE with 137 players. Sarah Gilpin topped Paige Bjerkaas by one stroke to win FPO.
In MPO action, the Motherlode in Grass Valley & Penn Valley, California had a bevy a 1000+ rated men getting ready for Masters Cup. Josh Anthon picked up his first win of 2018 by ten strokes over Garrett Gurthie, averaging 1054-rated golf over four rounds. Nicole Bradley topped Gurthie’s tour partner Jessica Weese by six in Motherlode’s FPO division, a WGE tournament.
East of the Mississippi, Chris Dickerson collected his 13th–13!!!–victory of 2018 at the Mountain Mayhem in Roanoke, Virginia. Zach Melton finished second.
The National Tour returns this weekend at the Santa Cruz Masters Cup. Friday and Saturday will be 24 holes played at the DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course, with the final round Sunday being played on the temporary 18 hole golf course layout.