21-year-old Finnish pro Väinö Mäkelä made the most of moving day at the Delaware Disc Golf Challenge. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen

The one upshot of holding a PDGA National Tour event the weekend after Pro Worlds? Many of the international competitors who come in search of disc golf’s most prestigious title extend their stays.

So while Ricky Wysocki continued to be the class of the Delaware Disc Golf Challenge after a 6-under par 63 moved his two-day total at Iron Hill Disc Golf Course to an 11-under par 127, we’re also being treated to the likes of talented up-and-comers like Finland’s Väinö Mäkelä and Estonia’s Albert Tamm. The former of those players laced a 1053-rated 9-under par 60 to snag Saturday’s hot round and move into a tie for second place with Eagle McMahon and Joel Freeman at 10-under, and the latter hung tough for 13 holes before some late bogeys moved him to fifth place. He is knotted up there with Matt Bell and another international sensation—Simon Lizotte—at 9-under par for the weekend.

Despite an uncharacteristically low 71% circle 1x performance through 36 holes, Wysocki is leading the field because he is almost always looking at birdie: He’s first in the field in circle 2 in regulation (64%), fifth in circle 1 in regulation (33%), and third in parked shots (11%). He put his Sockibomb moniker to work Saturday, connecting on two putts from 50 feet and another from 40 for crucial shots under par.

And if those were the bombs, he also unleashed a long-range missile, throwing in from 175-feet through the woods on the 600-foot 11th for a miraculous birdie 3.

Though that might have outshined Mäkelä, who made his move to Sunday’s leader group all the way from the fourth card, the young Finn carded plenty of his own highlights. His putter couldn’t help but find the chains on the way to a perfect circle 1x showing, and he hit long bids from 70, 67, and 60 feet.

“It was solid playing all the time,” Mäkelä said. “I made all my putts, my circle 1 and circle 2 was 100%, so it was pretty good. I was hitting my lines and everything was OK.”

Mäkelä got a boost from some friendly competition between he and cardmate and fellow Finn Ville Ahokas.

“Me and Ville had competition between us [for] who’s making more outside-the-circle putts,” Mäkelä said. “I won that, 4-2.”

After a scorching start to play on Friday, Freeman’s scoring was dampened by the rain. He said that was odd because he doesn’t mind playing in weather, but with conditions more ideal on Saturday he took advantage. His ability to scramble from outside Iron Hill’s fairways was a key component of his move to second, as he saved par on 88% of his opportunities.

Freeman has shown plenty of ability on the National Tour stage, logging a memorable second-place finish at the 2018 Las Vegas Challenge. Now he’s relishing the chance to have another crack at the win.

“I’m just super pumped,” Freeman said. “I mean, obviously the competition is what we do this for. The beautiful shots that carve down the fairway just right…Obviously just getting to be on camera, be in front of the gallery—that’s what all us pros wants to happen, so its gonna be a really fun day. I think I have the skills to take it down if things go well, but if they don’t its gonna be an enjoyable day for sure, no doubt.”

A standout performer at the European Open, Tamm brought his bazooka-powered putting with him during round two at Iron Hill, connecting twice from 50 feet on an early hot stretch Saturday afternoon. The 21-year-old Estonian was 8-down through 13 and charging for the top of the leaderboard, but when the pace of play slowed at the end of the round, so did his scoring. He carded three bogeys on the last five holes to drop to fifth.

“We had a little bit of a backup. Maybe I should have been moving a little bit more when we had to wait,” Tamm admitted. “Something to take to other rounds.”

He’s still only two shots off Wysocki’s lead, and there are eight players reasonably in contention, as Philo Brathwaite and Calvin Heimburg boast 8-under par totals. That means Sunday should make for a memorable finish—one Mäkelä was hoping would find him hoisting the trophy.

“That would be so amazing,” Mäkelä said. “I’m just keeping my own game. I’m just going to make huge putts—that’s my game.”