Ulibarri aiming for hot start at Silver Cup

While some were enjoying a holiday weekend, Paul Ulibarri took advantage of a short drive from Massachusetts to Delaware for another disc golf tournament. After a third place finish he hit the road to Manitowoc, Wisconsin for the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s Silver Cup.

Ulibarri has seen strong finishes in recent weeks, but is still seeking that “complete tournament” he desires. We talked with Ulibarri as he prepared for the first day of play in Wisconsin.

You were in Delaware last weekend and had a third place finish in what seemed like a roller coaster tournament? Was it as wild as it seemed?

“Yeah it was. It was a difficult course. Super tight, wooded, and long. I might have been a little too aggressive in that first round. I Fell back a little bit and then shot the course record in round two. In the final round I played solid, but got beat by the rest of the field. Wasn’t good or bad, but remained where I was.”

“Leading into this weekend I feel like I’m still playing good and will still be there for a good finish. Just need to stay confident.”

That’s quite the hike from Delaware to Wisconsin. Does the travel play a factor for you?

“Yeah, it does. Especially this week with the different courses we’re facing. We’re running a little thin, but while traveling with Drew Gibson we got here early and took turns driving. We got to play all the courses, put on a clinic, and got some more practice in so far.”

This is your first time to Silver Cup, correct? Thoughts on the course?

“Yeah, first time here. The first day we’ll play a deuce or die course. Not my favorite type of course, to be honest. I was expecting more being a Pro Tour event. The other rounds will be on Rollin’ Ridge which is a more pro calibre course. I feel confident of my game there.”

“I need to get in position on that first day and then the real golf starts on the weekend.”

Regardless of difficultly, how do you approach a course when you’ve never played on it before?

“Usually if pros get through a course one time, the best players in the world just need to know distance. Once we get distance dialed in, I can figure out what I’ll do on every hole. If I have the distance right, even if all I’ve had is one look at hole, that’s all I need.”

Besides winning, what are your goals for the weekend?

“I want to come out the first day with a better start. In the last few tournaments I’ve left myself far behind early on. I’ll play a little conservative the first day to keep up and not play so aggressive. Depending on where I am I might press on the gas later in the tournament. When I do that I can get some results.”

“I need to stay close to the lead until Sunday. It seems lately I’ve been able to finish strong, but I need to be in position to do that and take advantage of it.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on Ulibarri as he takes on Silver Cup for the first time. Regardless of the outcome, we’ll check back in after the tournament.