LOVETTSVILLE, Va. — Dean Grasso of Fairfax delivered the steadiest two rounds of disc golf in the MA50 field Saturday, winning the Mixed Amateur 50+ division at Dream DG’s Spring Takeoff at Flying Ace Farm with a two-round total of five over par at Lefty’s Farm Course.
Grasso, a PDGA member since 2023 with a current rating of 908, shot a four-over 66 in the first round to take the lead outright, then backed it up with a one-over 63 in the afternoon — the low round of the day in the division — to finish at +5 and deny the more experienced field no opening to catch him.
The PDGA C-tier event, sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association and hosted by touring professionals Lauren Butler and Alex Berg of Dream Disc Golf Company, drew competitors from across the Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia region to the long layout at Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery.
Daniel Hatfield of Arlington, Va. — the division’s most decorated competitor with 50 career wins and a 907 rating in 295 career events — entered the weekend as the player to beat. Hatfield posted a solid third-round opening of +8 but rallied with the second-best Round 2 score in the field, a four-over 66, to finish third overall at +12.
Rick Leith of Leesburg split the difference between them. The certified PDGA official shot a +5 opening round, just one stroke off Grasso’s pace, but a six-over 68 in Round 2 dropped him to second place at +11 — within striking distance of the leader but unable to close the gap.
Keith Vance of Gaithersburg, Md. and Dennis Cavallaro of Ashburn, Va. finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Both carded identical +14 rounds in the morning before the wheels came off in the afternoon — Vance added a +12 in Round 2 to finish at +26, while Cavallaro’s +16 second round pushed him to +30 for the tournament.
Mark Liddell of Harpers Ferry, W.Va. rounded out the six-man field at +33, shooting rounds of 78 and 79 on the 5,507-foot layout.
The course plays to a par of 62 on the long tees, with Hole 16 — a 975-foot par five — serving as the signature test. Several competitors took triple bogeys or worse on the closing stretch.
The tournament featured a players party Saturday evening at Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, with putting and driving competitions alongside the awards ceremony. Team doubles play was scheduled for Sunday.
Results are unofficial pending PDGA verification. All scores sourced from PDGA.com scorecards.