NT Points going into the second to last NT event:

Players in the “Drive for the Championship” National Tour points race have one last chance to improve their totals by dropping a lower point score this weekend at the Scholl’s Bicycle Center Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open before they head into the final crowning event on Labor Day weekend.

In the “Drive for the Championship” sponsored by Vibram Disc Golf, competitors will take the sum of their top four point finishes from the first eight National Tour Elite Series events into the ninth, and final, National Tour Elite Series event, the Vibram Open, where they will earn their fifth points total.  The sum of those five points totals will determine the 2011 National Tour Elite Series Champions for both Open Men and Open Women.  Top finishers will receive trophies as well as bonus checks, so with ten places being paid in the MPO division and five places in the FPO division, players will be working hard at the Vibram Open not only to win that event , but also to improve their overall point totals.

With her 400 point perfect score on the tour, Valarie Jenkins has set the bar for the Women’s Open division.  Yet with potential for wins this weekend in Pittsburgh and at the Vibram Open, a late-charging Paige Pierce could rally to capture the Points series crown.

In the Mens Division, Nikko Locastro holds a precarious seven point lead over Dave Feldberg, and only a 12 point lead over 2011 PDGA World Champion Nate Doss going into this weekend’s Scholl’s Bicycle Center Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open.

The last National Tour Elite Series event prior to the break for Am and Pro Worlds was at King of the Lake in beautiful Lake Tahoe.  With many of the top Pros half-way around the world competing in the European Open, there were NT points up for grabs.  In the Ladies division, Sarah Hokom notched her first NT win of the season and added 100 points and dropped a 91 point score to gain 9 points and move into second place in the standings pushing past Paige Pierce.  Catrina Allen placed second at KotL to earn a 95-point score allowing her to drop a 76 score and move up 19 points which puts her within 14 points of Liz Lopez in fourth place. On the men’s side, Devan Owens had the win at King of the Lake gaining a 100-point score which jumped him from 14th place to a tie for 8th place with Avery Jenkins and into the money.  Rickey Wysocki took second and his 95 points vaulted him from 21st place to 15th.  Derek Billings and Nick Gagne tied for third place earning 90 points each.  Derek jumped 14 spaces from 39th to 25th, and Nick rocketed 43 slots from 75th place into 32nd place. Greg Barsby and Tim Skellenger tied for 5th place earning 84 points each.  This moved Barsby from 8th to 6th place and Skellenger from 28th to 21st place.

From the Ironman perspective, only two competitors have played in all seven National Tour Elite Series Event so far this year, and they hail from opposite sides of the country.  In the ladies division only Sarah Hokom from Charlotte, NC has played every event, and in the men’s division, only Steve Mills from San Diego, CA has done so.

Be sure to keep an eye on the competitors this weekend as they vie for both NT points and a win at the Scholl’s Bicycle Center Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open!

For the National Tour and the "Drive for the Champonship"

For stories and live scoring see www.pdga.com

For full tournament scores see: PFDO Scores

For the Tournament website see: Scholl’s Bicycle Center Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open