The first round of the 2022 Dynamic Discs Open (DDO) is in the books.
Day one brought with it a bunch of …
Okay scoring?
Paige Pierce and Christine Jennings lead the FPO side at two strokes under par. Thomas Gilbert leads the men after shooting a six-under 59 on the day. To put those scores in perspective, Paul McBeth won last year’s DDO by six strokes with a whopping 42 under par over four rounds.
The wind was up: Just Emporia doing what it does best – annoying weather.
The most interesting round-one scorecard, however, belonged to Mr. Nathan Sexton. He shot a one-under 64 to kick off his DDO campaign. HOW he did it is what’s absolutely nutty, though:
- He had zero bogeys on the day.
- He had zero OB penalties.
- He had seventeen pars.
- He had one birdie.
If that’s not the most “Safeton” round ever, I don’t know what is …
The most interesting scorecard of the day goes to Nate Sexton! 1 under with 17 pars and 1 birdie. #DynamicDiscsOpen pic.twitter.com/kESqWrXyW6
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) April 28, 2022
According to UDisc, the guy was first in scramble percentage (100%), first in C1X putting percentage (100%) and first in OB rate with zero outside-the-lines throws through 18 holes.
Combined, amongst the 166 MPO and FPO golfers who participated in round-one action in Emporia, only TWO came out completely unscathed with zero bogeys to their names:
- Thomas Gilbert, who just so happens to be leading the MPO division.
- And Nate Sexton, who isn’t, but sits only five strokes back of the lead.
Which brings me to what I’m really trying to get at with all of this …
It’s easier to be good at disc golf when you don’t give strokes away for free.
Sexton could win, but I wouldn’t bet on it – the latter-half of the event is fairly bomber-friendly. He’s won the Las Vegas Challenge, though, so what do I know? Anyway, what I’m certain of is he didn’t let the desire to “hero huck” (trademark pending) get the better of him yesterday …
* Note: Essentially, to “hero huck” is to try to win a tournament in a single, ill-advised throw.
And because of it, he’s still in contention one-quarter of the way through this thing.
Take a closer look at Nate’s game, and it’s not hard to see why:
- Sexton Style No. 1 – Even when it’s not considered “sexy,” he’s cool to lay it up.
- Sexton Style No. 2 – He sacrifices distance to throw non-squirrely discs: The Firebird.
- Sexton Style No. 3 – Going for more forehands allows him to keep his eye on the basket.
If you’re reading this blog, there’s a good chance you’re just like me – firmly entrenched in the mediocrity that is amateur disc golf. Sexton’s a United States Disc Golf Champion. Last year, he finished on the podium at Worlds. He’s arguably got the best forehand our sport’s ever seen, too.
On paper, disc golf is child’s play: Though he could easily do more, Sexton’s game is proof of it.
Be smart. Play simple. Compete to win.
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Editor’s Suggestions:
- Paul McBeth should dial back the post-loss complaints
- The Innova Whale: Putt and drive with the same putter
- Innova: What’s the difference between an Eagle-X and Eagle-L?
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