Warder wins a windy, wild one

Next up: Tuesday night Glow round at The Glades

LONACONING — It was supposed to reach a high of 33 degrees. The winds were supposed to calm. Neither standard was met.

Despite that, six hearty souls took on 18 holes during a casual Allegany County Disc Golf Club round Sunday afternoon at Living Waters Life Center in Lonaconing and paid the price in the form of wind gusts that did things to discs not often seen during a round of play.

With a tee time temperature around 26 degrees and a steady wind of 18 mph, it felt closer to 13 degrees. What the wind did to some of the discs was downright comical, bordering cruel. And no one weathered the wacky ways of the disc better than David Warder.

David Warder found himself in trouble here, and this jailbreak attempt landed him in the parking lot – and out of bounds.

Warder, 32, of Frostburg, led by a single stroke after the midway point and was in a tie with Ethan von Hagel, 20, of Cumberland, when Warder bogeyed No. 10 and von Hagel saved par. Warder took a one-stroke lead again on No. 12 — this time it was von Hagel’s turn to bogey, but it was about to get much worse. The two players both threw for par on Nos. 13 and 14. On No. 15, the wind took control of von Hagel’s disc. All he could do was watch. Von Hagel went out of bounds twice on that hole, incurring two penalty strokes — once by landing in the parking lot, and another time when his disc landed in the parking lot near the building but rolling — seemingly forever, and gaining speed — across the parking lot and up and over the railroad tracks.

Warder was then in the driver’s seat, finishing with a one under par 55. Tim Farris, 26, of Wiley Ford, W.Va., snuck in for a second-place finish with a 61. Von Hagel settled for third with a 62. Farris had a two-stroke lead on von Hagel after No. 15, but von Hagel responded with a birdie on No. 16 while Farris threw for bogey, forcing a tie. Farris earned a one-stroke lead on No. 17 when he threw for par while von Hagel settled for bogey.

Shania Farris, 26, of Wiley Ford, finished fourth with a 66. Kevin Spradlin, 44, of Frostburg, rounded out the complete field with a 71. Keith Raynor, 46, of Vale Summit, in fifth place with a 32 at the midway point. An uncomfortable tweak of the muscle, however, early on the back nine forced Raynor from the field.

Though official totals weren’t kept, it’s believed that every player suffered going OB at least once, and some players went OB three or more times — and that doesn’t include failing to hit the island on Nos. 9 or 18. Two discs landed in the creek, and a third missed it by inches.

The Allegany County Disc Golf Club has three rounds remaining in March, including glow rounds at The Glades at Meschach Run in Accident the next two Tuesday evenings. Tee time is 7:30 p.m. In between that, the club has a 2 p.m. casual round at Mile Lane Disc Golf in Mount Savage.