Weekend Roundup: Allen Cashes in with Hot Final Round to Win Las Vegas Challenge

by Prodigy Disc February 25, 2020

Catrina Allen avenged her playoff loss at the 2019 Las Vegas Challenge with a nail-biting final round comeback in this year's rendition of the early season staple. Although it was not the start to the 2020 National Tour Series, a deep FPO field solidified the high-profile feel. 

Allen was her usual surgical self in getting to the green, leading the field in fairway hits, circle 1 in regulation and circle 2 in regulation along with birdie percentage. It also didn't take long for her to drop her first 1000-rated round, as her scorching second round vaulted her into first place from a two-stroke deficit. 

Allen then bounced back from a disappointing third round to tie the hot score in the fourth and final round for the win. She came out birdieing five of her first seven holes to take the lead. Allen found herself down again, but a crucial birdie three on the 798-foot 14th hole pulled her back into a first place tie. 

She then held steady and used a tap-in par on the par-4 18th to secure the victory with a 2-under par 240 total over the four rounds. Allen's gritty win was her second of the young season as she heads to Arizona for the Memorial Championships, the first stop on the 2020 Disc Golf Pro Tour.

Joining her there will be Lykke Sandvik out of Norway. Sandvik joined Team Prodigy Europe this year and will spend a lot of time touring in the United States. She opened up her season by making the cut at Vegas and finishing in a sixth place tie. Sandvik averaged a whopping 37 points above her rating in the impressive stateside debut for 2020.

On the Open side, Kevin Jones fought his way back in contention after a tough first round, ultimately finishing in sixth. He used a 1071-rated second round to climb his way back to the top and was within a few strokes of the lead at certain points during the final round. He tied for the lead in birdie percentage in tossing a 38-under 204 total.

Cale Leiviska also finished well in a tie for 11th. Leiviska saved his best work for the final round, a 10-under 51 in which he birdied nine of his first 11 holes. Dutch Napier's 19th place tie also secured a top-20 spot. Jones and Leiviska will try their hand at The Memorial, as well.

Chris Dickerson racked up his fourth win of the season and fourth in a row, winning the Frozen Finger Shootout in Morristown, Tenn. Dickerson shot the hot score in both rounds to total a 27-under 101 and win by six. Heather Young narrowly missed her second consecutive win, falling just short in a playoff. She finished with a 4-under 124. Charlie Davenport finished second in Pro Masters 40+.

Team Prodigy was well-represented at the Aiken County Open in Aiken, S.C. Sam Lee took the win in his first event of the year with a 20-under 154 total. That put him four shots clear of second over the three round event. Austin Lytle finished fourth, Dylan Holt finished seventh and Blake Thomas finished tied for 8th. 

Hyndo Jang and Shinah Kim locked up the sweep at the Inaugural Silla Open in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. There, Jang picked up the Open win by nine strokes and Kim took down Open Women. 

Tray Desnoyer win Pro Masters 40+ at Frozen Chains 2020 in Millington, Tenn., picking up a two stroke victory. Vann Moss grabbed third in Open. 

Jordan Morrow won the Junior Division at the 7th Annual Port City Open in Shreveport, La., handily for his third win of the season. In Open, Tanner Girouard finished tied for second in Open and Nageeb LaBorde finished in 8th.

Ryan Dickson won the 11th Annual Fort Bragg Icebowl in California, riding a 1035-rated second round to a two stroke win. It was the hot score by four throws and gave him a 14-under 94 total for the event. 

Jon McCain and his partner claimed the NADGT Flex Doubles title in Sprindale, Ark.