Day One Update
The first rounds of the 2022 Professional Disc Golf World Championships kicked off today in Emporia, Kansas. Team Innova could not have hoped for a better start! Check this article daily for updates on the Team’s performance.
Hot Rounds on Day One
At the end of day one, seven out of the top ten players in the FPO field are on Team Innova. Henna Blomroos set down an early hot round at 8 under par and currently sits in second place. The Supreme 18 at Jones Park is a long course that requires accurate, big distance. Blomroos exhibited just that, leading the field in parked percentage and Circle 2 hits in regulation. In her post-round interview, she said that she can score even lower in the coming rounds. With confidence like that, Henna will be a serious contender for this year’s World Championship title.
Eveliina Salonen and Jen Allen sit tied in 4th place at -6. Eveliina played a bogey free round and took no OB strokes. She led the field in Fairway Hit percentage. Jen Allen looked fantastic off the tee as well and is currently placed to have her best Elite Series or Major finish of the season. These courses play to Eveliina and Jen’s big arms and both sit well-positioned to make a push for the win.
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Juliana Korver and Kat Mertsch are tied for 6th place at 5 under par. Juliana had some huge highlights, sinking two birdie putts from well outside the circle on holes 7 and 11. With five World Championship titles already to her name, Juliana is tied for the most ever by an FPO player. Though her last World’s win was in 2003, Juliana is in the fight again to become the sole-winningest female in PDGA World’s history. Kat Mertsch birdied half of the holes and made 100% of her inside-the-circle putts. If she can keep the putter hot, Kat will be vying for the podium.
Ohn Scoggins and Hailey King are tied for 9th at -4. Ohn started her round with a triple bogey on Hole One followed by a bogey on Hole Two. She proceeded to birdie nine out of the last twelve holes to bring herself back into the hunt. With the season she has been having so far, the leaders should stay aware of a charging Ohn Scoggins. Hailey King also got off to a slow start, but a six down back nine keeps her in close contention. Hailey already won a Major event this year at the 2022 USWDGC so we know she has what it takes.
Calm condition led to low scores on the long and open Supreme 18 at Jones Park. Photo by DGPT
Team Innova Crushes at Jones 18
On the MPO side, six of our players made the top 10. Garret Gurthie and Anthony Barela sit tied for 2nd place at 10 under par. They both shot the hot round of the day at the Supreme 18 at Jones Park. We all know that GG can crush; he won his third World Distance title this past weekend throwing his Star Katana 652 feet. That said, Garret found the top of the leaderboard during today’s round with an amazing putting performance. He led the field in Strokes Gained from C2, making five putts from outside the circle. He was 2nd in the field in birdie percentage. If Garret can keep up the strong putting performance, he will be hard to beat. Anthony Barela got to 10 down more in the way that you would expect from a player with such a big arm. He did not miss a fairway and found himself in C2 or better, putting for birdie, on every hole. We knew these courses would benefit bomber players going into the World Championships. AB and GG sitting at the top of the leaderboard confirms it.
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Zackeriath Johnson is just one stroke back from Barela and Gurthie in a tie for seventh. He was second in the field in Circle One hits in regulation. Zackeriath is putting together some amazing disc golf at just the right moment, currently positioned to have his best Pro Tour finish so far this year.
Nate Sexton, Gregg Barsby, and Calvin Heimburg are sitting at -8 and tied for 10th place. Sexton, who finished 3rd at the 2021 World Championships, always brings his best when it comes to Majors. After today’s performance, Sexton must be feeling good about his chances for another excellent Major finish. 2018 World Champion, Gregg Barsby, is keeping himself in the mix. He was second in the field in Birdie percentage. On hole 3, in classic Barsby fashion, he landed a huge, 100-footer for the birdie. Calvin Heimburg sits in tenth place as well. Earlier in the week, Calvin took first place in the Mixed Doubles World Championship event. A crowd favorite, let’s see if Calvin can take two World titles in the same week!
Only one round in and Team Innova is already crushing it at the 2022 Professional Disc Golf World Championships. Catch second day coverage live on the Disc Golf Network with the FPO lead-card teeing off tomorrow, August 31st at 9:00 am CT. Check back in at InnovaDiscs.com for a daily update and follow @TeamInnovaDiscs on Instagram and Facebook for all the highlights from this year’s Worlds.
