The Disc Golf Pro Tour returned to action this past weekend in beautiful Ogden, Utah for the 2018 Utah Open.
Arguably one of the most scenic disc golf tournaments, the Utah Open has some bite to go with its beauty. With many chances to go out-of-bounds, the three round event will test even the greatest of disc golfers.
After all the scores were tallied, Eagle McMahon finished four shots behind the leader in second place while four other members of Team Discmania finished in the top-25.
Eagle McMahon Shakes Off Slow Start, Finishes Second
The first two days of the Utah Open were anything but routine for McMahon.
At the end of the first day, McMahon believed he shot a 54 (-4) and found himself in the middle of the pack. A few errant throws caused a penalty stroke here and there, but he made up for it with a number of birdies.
McMahon rebounded in style on Saturday for the second round with a bogey-free 51 (-7) to jump up the leaderboard. At the end of the round, he was tied for the lead. Soon after the round finished, McMahon learned he misplayed a hole during round one and would be charged with a two-shot penalty. This ultimately pushed him down the leaderboard a few slots and two shots behind leader Ricky Wysocki.
McMahon told the PDGA’s Steve Hill after the round that it was a mental lapse that wasn’t caught by anyone in the moment.
Determined not to let that set him back, McMahon refocused going into the third and final round. In order to pull out the win, McMahon needed a strong round combined with mistakes from the other leaders. Unfortunately, those mistakes never came.
McMahon’s final round was again bogey-free and the 56 (-12) came in as his best round of the tournament. He was in the hunt the entire time, but couldn’t make up the deficit and finished just four shots behind Wysocki in second place.
Shue, Perkins, Montgomery, Kowalewski Shine in Utah
The competition was strong in the Beehive State and Team Discmania showed their depth yet again.
Grady Shue improved each and every round as he finished in a tie for eight at -11 for the tournament.
Teammate Nate Perkins was right behind him as he shook off a slow start of his own to rocket up the leaderboard into a tie for 11th to end the tournament.
Not to be outdone, Colten Montgomery and travelmate Bart Kowalewski finished in ties for 16th and 22nd respectively.
Team Discmania Results
2. Eagle McMahon (-21)
T8. Grady Shue (-11)
T11. Nate Perkins (-10)
T16. Colten Montgomery (-8)
T22. Bart Kowalewski (-6)
Photos: Alyssa Van Lanen