NoC Sports
Jeff Layland of Bowling Green took low score honors at the 12th annual Lexington Open, held at Shillito and Veteran’s Parks May 14-15. Layland recorded a score of 192 over the four rounds of the tournament, despite the challenging conditions presented by the steady rain that fell for much of the weekend.
With two second place finishes this year, at the Kentucky State Championships and the Louisville Classic, Layland was an Open Division contender entering the tournament, and he did not disappoint. His 24-under-par performance in the professional-level Open Division bested second-place finisher Eric Galluser, of Louisville, by 10 throws. Just behind Galluser, at 13 under par, hometown product Landon Williams placed third in his first tournament as a competitor in the Open Division.
While the Open Division featured a total of 7 disc golfers completing their four rounds under par, several other divisions saw players also scoring below par. Competing in the Advanced Division (the highest amateur division), Drew Miller of Independence actually recorded the second lowest weekend score with a 17 under par 199. Miller bested second place Advanced finisher Jeremy Cordy of Shepherdsville by 4 throws. In addition, James McCormick of Louisville (-10) and Tim McGee of Georgetown (-3) won their respective divisions, Advanced Masters and Intermediate, with sub-par scores.
In total 143 disc golfers, including 68 Open and Advanced division competitors, entered this year’s tournament, which has steadily grown in national prominence and number of entrants since its inception. High finishers in all divisions took home a share of more than $10,000 in discs, bags, clothing, and cash.
Women’s participation has also risen noticeably, as the tournament featured nine entrants in the Recreational Women’s Division. Meagan Wease bested the field by 21 throws despite a second-round hiccup. Over in Advanced Women, Karen Farrell tossed a 249.
There was plenty of action in the Recreational and Novice Divisions as well. Charlie Cavalier threw 3 over par to hold off fast-charging Lexingtonian Michael Reynolds (+5) to come out on top in the 26-person Men’s Recreational Division.
In the hotly contested Novice Division, Ross Taylor took home low score honors with a 4 over par in what was his first tournament. His four-day total included two rounds of 53.
In the junior divisions, Jacob Varner took home the under-13 Boys title, a division which included three of the top 20 under-13 players in the world. Meanwhile, Corey Ellis finished first in the under-16 field, and Derek Waldridge won the under-19 crown.
For complete tournament results go to www.pdga.com. News and discussion of Lexington area disc golf is found at the Bluegrass Disc Golf Association’s web site, www.bdga.org.
Leave a Reply