Las Vegas Challenge: Pierce Rallies To Retake Lead From Allen


Round 3 Recap

Paige Pierce. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen – DGPT

Coming in at a total of 8,950 feet, the Factory Course is the longest of the three Las Vegas Challenge courses. The extra distance allowed a few of the farthest throwing FPO players to make their mark going into the final round.

  • After a questionable performance in the second round, Paige Pierce was able to throw another 10-under round rated above 1000. Pierce was wearing tape on her injured finger, but it did not appear to be a factor in her throwing. At 9.59 strokes gained from tee to green she was dominant off the tee. After going out of bounds on hole 10 and taking a bogey, Pierce was able to finish 7-under in the last eight holes, including an eagle on the island hole 18. This strong back 9 propelled her to 19-under overall and a three stroke lead over Catrina Allen. 
  • Catrina Allen was able to maintain her lead over Pierce early in the round, but was not able to match Pierce’s finish. Taking three putts on holes 2 and 9 led to bogeys on both holes. This contributed to Allen’s worst day on the green so far at only 50% from Circle 1X. Her drive into the hazard sand trap and subsequently missed putt on hole 13 allowed Pierce to take the lead, which was kept through the end of the round.
  • Jessica Weese found herself off the fairway on five holes, but only carded a bogey on one of these holes. Saving par from these difficult positions allowed Weese to finish the round 1-under and in third place overall, giving her a spot on the lead card in the final round.
  • Distance is not a strong suit of Ohn Scoggins’ play and it showed on this long course. She lost 4.46 strokes from tee to green. Scoggins was able to keep herself on the final round lead card with her strong putting. She gained 4.57 strokes in Circle 1X, leading the field in that statistic.
  • The extra distance of the Factory Course was ideal for Hailey King who was able to throw her way to a 6-under round and 1-under total. Finishing day three with a tap-in eagle, King has put herself in position to compete for third place after a horrendous start on Thursday.
  • Jennifer Allen continued to lay-up almost every putt, bringing her total score up to even par after a 2-over par day. Allen led the field in Circle 1 in Regulation at 61%, but she did not attempt to convert many of these opportunities and has now found herself on the chase card going into the final round.

Statline

Paige Pierce once again showed she is capable of reaching holes that no other woman can. Pierce was the only competitor in the FPO division to birdie holes 9, 12, and 13. For the field, holes 12 and 13 averaged 0.7-over par making these two holes tied for the most difficult on the course.

Heard

“It went pretty well, only one OB today and it was pretty comfortable winds so obviously I fixed something. Mental game was a lot better today, not so much thinking about what could go wrong, more so thinking about where my disc is going to land, on what angle, and just really focus on all of that.” – Paige Pierce

“I think I know what not to do.” – Paige Pierce, when asked if she is prepared for a second round at the Innova Course.

Highlights

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