Somewhere in the unwritten rules of disc golf, it states a top level disc golf tournament isn’t official until mother nature decides to show up. For the leaders of the La Mirada Open, the first nine holes were played in dry weather, but as time went on, you could tell things were going to change.

Winds picked up and clouds rolled in midway through the afternoon and a few small sprinkles led to heavy rain which quickly shuffled the leaderboard.

Fittingly, soon after the final group of the day finished Hole 18, the clouds began to part and the sun shined again.

Between the calm start and soggy ending, it was Paul McBeth improving his first round lead with a 57 (-6) to move to -17 overall for the tournament. The lead expanded from just one to a somewhat comfortable five.

McBeth began with five straight birdies which proved more valuable than expected after the rain added a new level of difficulty on the back nine. After playing six-under-par before the rain arrived around Hole 10, McBeth was even par for the remaining eight holes.

“I started out great, which was key in this weather. Then I was able to hold it together the rest of the round,” McBeth said as he dried off after Hole 18.

With just 18 holes to play, McBeth knows his game plan, “I’ll attack the first few holes tomorrow since I feel very comfortable with those first tee shots. I won’t worry about where anyone else is though with the confidence I have on this course.”

Lizotte remains in contention

It was another roller coaster ride for Simon Lizotte who sits in second place after a 61 (-2) to move to -12 overall. Lizotte says while the bad weather brought back memories of the 2015 United States Disc Golf Championship’s final round, which was also plagued by strong winds and rain, he was focused on a strong finish.

“I had to birdie Hole 18 in order to play on the lead card on Saturday,” Lizotte said. “I was able to do that and I’m looking forward to a fun final round in better weather.”

Nybo moves to third with hot round

The hottest round of the day came from Karl Johan Nybo. Nybo’s 56 (-7) propelled him into a tie for third place with Ricky Wysocki and Devan Owens.

“I had only one OB on the front nine, played really safe, and kept it in bounds. It was a good feeling all around and ending with a birdie felt great,” Nybo remarked at the end of the round. “I have my game plan and will do the same in the final day.”

According to the Disc Golf Metrix, Nybo hit 100% of his putts inside the circle and added two putts from outside the circle to help reach the low mark of the day.

Nybo and Wysocki will join McBeth and Lizotte on the lead card in the final round.

Looking ahead

The third and final round is set for Saturday afternoon. Another live broadcast is set for 2 p.m. PST on The SpinTV. The forecast looks much better for the weekend which should set the stage for an exciting finish.

The post Mother nature throws a punch as McBeth extends his La Mirada Open lead appeared first on All Things Disc Golf.