McBeth proven king of disc golf
SLIPPERY ROCK — Professional disc golf player Paul McBeth nearly found a moment of peace after breaking free from the mob of people surrounding the final green Saturday at Slippery Rock University.
Before McBeth made it off the course, a fan in a Dallas Cowboys jersey dumped a bucket of water on him in celebration of winning his fourth straight Professional Disc Golf Association World Championship.
Every tournament win has its unique moments for McBeth, who is 25 and a native of Huntingdon Beach, Calif.
“This is a first,” said McBeth, who earned $6,000 for finishing first. “I wasn't expecting it. It's new. They are getting creative.”
For McBeth, having a celebration was a mere formality. He built a commanding lead entering the finals.
McBeth, who has earned $219,215.07 as a pro, was ahead by 12 shots heading into the final nine and finished 75-under par in the week-long event. Richard Wysocki finished nine strokes behind McBeth.
“I knew if I shot a good score, anything close to what I did on Thursday I'd have a shot,” said McBeth, who shot a tournament-low 51 in rounds four and five. “I was able to do that and I came into the final nine holes with 12 strokes. Then it was really just don't blow up and put it in bounds.”
Many others couldn't play so relaxed and had to hang on Saturday to win their divisions. Paige Pierce, who won the women's open division, collected her third title by a single stroke. Ken Climo, who won his third masters crown and 15th overall title, won by three shots.
Winners in other divisions included: Joseph Mela (men's grandmasters), Sandra Frazer (women's grandmasters), David Greenwell (men's senior grandmasters), Shigeko Sekiguchi (women's senior grandmasters), Peter Shive (men's legends), Carol Rigsby (senior legends) and Ronald Byrd (grand legends).
Pierce had to match Sarah Hokom for the last three holes to score a one-stroke victory. She also won in 2011 and 2013.
“I don't usually peek at scoreboards until the final 9 or final couple holes,” said Pierce, who collected $2,500 for the win and has earned $82,281.88 in her career. “I knew at that point it was tie her, don't get too crazy. No need to go for something when you have the lead. Play it safe.”
Pierce took some time to get used to the hills. At the three courses used for the event — Moraine State Park, Deer Lakes Park and SRU — Pierce used her mid-range disc more.
“We definitely practiced here this week,” said Pierce, who is a native of Plano, Texas. “(SRU) is more open than the rest of the courses we played. It's throw far and hope it stays in bounds.”
McBeth enjoyed Slippery Rock's campus and the tour's first trip to Pittsburgh. A few different aspects set this win apart from the others.
“There's new players, there's different courses,” McBeth said. “It's always a challenge and the person I'm trying to beat the most is myself. I need to push myself to go out there and play more in practice and get better because these players are always getting better.”
