Queen Fires 1060-Rated Round, Opens Five-Stroke Gap at Bainbridge
Nathan Queen turned a competitive tournament into a potential coronation on Saturday, firing a 1060-rated 57 (-8) to extend his lead from two to five strokes at the Visit Bainbridge Presents Reckoning on the River. Building on his opening-round advantage and early-season momentum from a top-10 finish at the Charlotte Roar, Queen delivered the tournament's best round, finishing at -14 overall and putting himself in commanding position heading into Sunday's finale at Bainbridge Oaks Disc Golf Course.
For the second consecutive day, the closing stretch provided drama. Queen led by two strokes with three holes to play, and while Ryan Monn narrowed the gap to one with a par on the 390-foot 17th, Queen responded with a par of his own. On the demanding 745-foot par-5 18th—the course's hardest hole averaging 5.78 strokes—Queen secured another par to close out a two-stroke round victory, with Harper Thompson also finishing two back on the final hole.
While Queen pulled away, the chase pack reshuffled. Monn and Chandler Kramer both shot solid -5 rounds to remain tied for second at -9 overall, but couldn't match Queen's pace. Thompson made the biggest move among contenders, firing a -6 to vault from -2 after Round 1 into a tie for fourth at -8 alongside Braeden Sides. Evan Scott surged with a -5 round to climb to eighth at -5 overall, while RJ Chirkis and Austen Bates stumbled after solid opening rounds.
Throughout the field, Bainbridge Oaks continued to demand precision, with the field averaging +3 for the second straight round. Matt Versola delivered the day's most impressive rating outperformance, shooting 37 points above his rating with a 1015-rated round. Bradley Baumgardner provided one of the round's highlight shots with a 49-foot Circle 2 birdie putt on the 640-foot 16th after missing the fairway, while Caleb Martin buried a 65-foot Circle 2 putt on hole 3 to protect a card lead.
Queen's five-stroke cushion at -14 appears formidable heading into Sunday's final round, but the densely wooded corridors of Bainbridge Oaks have proven they can humble anyone. Monn and Kramer at -9 will need something extraordinary to mount a charge, while the tight cluster at -8 featuring Thompson and Sides provides a compelling secondary battle. The Reckoning on the River finale promises either a coronation or one of the season's most dramatic comebacks.