Paige Pierce, Ohn Scoggins, Ella Hansen and Emily Beach are tied at the top of FPO after round 1. Photo: DGPT

The FPO and MPO fields hit the ground running in Round 1 of the 2023 OTB Open with a four-person tie in the FPO field and 1st place in the MPO field sitting on a one-stroke lead. Despite the hot scores at the top of the leaderboard, Swenson Park played over par for both fields with every player in the FPO field taking at least one bogey. While the FPO field saw the return of last year’s champ, the MPO field saw the continued momentum of a recent champ.

Tied at the Top in FPO

In a year filled with tight leaderboards, the FPO field outdid themselves with four players tied for first at the end of Round 1 at the 2023 OTB Open. According to StatMando, this is the most players tied for the lead after any FPO Major or Elite round since a six-person tie at the 2019 Memorial Championship. Paige Pierce, Ohn Scoggins, Emily Beach, and Ella Hansen will go into Moving Day tied for first at seven strokes under par.

Pierce, the defending OTB Champion, had a slow start to her round but went on to birdie holes 15 through 18 to catch up to the hot round set by Beach earlier in the day. Pierce is the only FPO player to win the OTB Open since its start in 2021 but there was some speculation as to whether or not she would be able to compete this weekend. After the PDGA Champions Cup, Pierce skipped the Jonesboro Open to focus on working through an injury.

When asked about her current condition, Pierce described it as, “Zero pain. I think it’s actually less likely that I would feel it in the tournament round than in practice because I’m throwing multiple shots per hole in practice.”

The opening round saw a return to form for Pierce, who scored eight birdies and only one bogey, with an impressive 6.11 shots gained tee to green according to UDisc.

“I feel good, but I do think I can shoot hotter,” Pierce said after the opening round, “I’m excited to give it another crack tomorrow.”

Scoggins is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard with multiple top ten finishes so far in 2023 and having won the 2023 Santa Cruz Masters Cup last weekend. In particular, Scoggins feels that the course updates have worked in her favor.

“I just feel like the course was changed in a very good way for all of us and a lot of holes are good for my sidearm,” Scoggins said after sharing the hot round, “I play smart.”

Scoggins will share the Round 2 lead card with…