The Sun Finally Shines on Champions
The Sun Finally Shines on Champions
2022 LWS Open at Idlewild - Final Round Recap
Cat Pushes the Field
For Catrina Allen, Sunday was a test of stability. Maintaining sturdy footing, a calm demeanor, and focusing forward while the field chased behind her.
Day 1 - A Setback is Just a Set Up for a Comeback
Allen’s journey through the tournament kicked off with a five-over opening round, placing her in twelfth place and four throws off of the leader, Ella Hansen. Allen notes that after the rain delay during the first day, she took a quadruple-bogey eight on the already formidable seventh hole. She carded the worst score of the day on that hole. Quickly rebounding, Allen put together a bogey-free back nine to close out the first round.
Day 2 - Hot Round Rockets Allen
In round two, Allen shot the hot round, along with local favorite Rebecca Cox, both carding a one-under par, the only under-par rounds on the FPO side to that point. That effort propelled Allen to the top of the leaderboard, sharing the top spot with Ella Hansen.
Day 3 - A Champion’s Mindset
For the final round, the 2021 PDGA FPO Player of the Year, Catrina Allen, and the 2021 PDGA FPO Rookie of the Year, Ella Hansen, capped the tightly packed field. The duo began the round at four-over-par for the tournament with a looming field behind them. Paige Piece sat tied for eighth at only seven-over. Meanwhile, fellow legend and fellow five-time PDGA World Champ, Juliana Korver, rounded out the top 10, sitting at eight-over.
Chased by giants, Catrina persisted. Despite a couple of blemishes with bogeys on holes 10 and 12, Allen never let go of the lead after taking solo first on the second hole. The two-time PDGA World Champion never truly wavered during her final-round campaign.
Throughout the round, Allen exuded an air of calm and consistency, demonstrating the stability and poise of a champion from tee one to hole 18. The gracious champion was quick to recognize the support she benefits from during her post round interview with Disc Golf Network’s Terry Miller, shouting out her sponsors and partner, Austin Hannum. Catrina ends her message of perseverance with a multitude of thanks, saying “I just feel so lucky to feel so loved and supported by the disc golf community, so thank you.”
View final hole by hole scores here >>
Robinson Breaks Through
On the MPO side, Isaac Robinson never let up. The wire-to-wire victory yielded little drama for the Disc Golf Pro Tour newcomer.
Hot, Hot, Hot
Robinson started off the tournament with the hot round, shooting eleven-under-par and sharing the distinction with Gannon Buhr. In round two, Robinson again shot the hot round, besting his own effort with a twelve-under-par, again sharing the hot round distinction, but this time with Chris Dickerson. In round three, Paul McBeth stole the hot round honors with a thirteen-under-par closing round, compared to Robinson’s ten-under-round. However, Robinson was the only competitor to score every round double digits under par.
Robinson earned his first Elite Series win after solid finishes at other Disc Golf Pro Tour stops this season:
Isaac Robinson’s DGPT Finishes in 2022:
- 5th - DGPT - Waco Annual Charity Open presented by Prodigy Disc
- 3rd - DGPT - Portland Open presented by Dynamic Discs
- 16th - DGPT - The Preserve Championship designed by Leiviska Disc Golf
In fact, Robinson had only secured his first and only PDGA A-Tier victory earlier this year at the 17th Annual Seneca Spring Fling presented by Upper Park Disc Golf. To call his rise on the elite series meteoric would perhaps be an understatement.
Another Gracious Champ
Robinson’s final putt was barely resting in the bottom of the basket before his brother and fellow MPO competitor, Ezra Robinson, rushed the eighteenth green to embrace Isaac. The brothers let emotions flow as they celebrated Isaac’s championship effort.
When asked what kept him loose and comfortable out on the course during a high-pressure final round, Robinson replied, “Just staying in the moment and having fun. I just love playing disc golf and competing in front of fans.”
Most fun wins.