Nikko Locastro
Nikko Locastro | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 16, 1988 (age 36) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Professional Disc Golfer |
Nikko Locastro (born September 16, 1988) is a professional disc golf player from St. Louis, Missouri. He has been playing the sport professionally since 2006. As of December 2012, Locastro is ranked 19th in the world,[1] and has the 10th highest rating, currently at 1037.[2] Although he has only been playing professionally for six years, he has improved quickly and added multiple Major wins to his name. In 2009, and then again in 2010, he broke Barry Schultz's season winnings record. He was previously sponsored by Gateway Disc Golf, Dynamic Discs, and Innova Discs. In 2011, Nikko was awarded the Player of the Year award, for the third consecutive year.[3]
Amateur career
Nikko ascended quickly through the amateur ranks. In 2004, he worked his way through divisions, starting in Juniors and ending in Advanced, where he would stay until turning pro in 2006. While he was not dominant as an amateur nationwide, he was competitive. In 2005, he placed 34th in the Bowling Green Amateur Championships, held in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the largest disc golf tournament in the world. 2006 was his best year as an amateur. He won three tournaments and finished third at Bowling Green and sixth at Worlds. After worlds, Nikko decided to play professionally.
Professional career
2009 season
Nikko's 2009 season is without a doubt his breakout season. In this season, he played 43 events and won 16 of them. Of these wins, six were A Tier tournaments, and one was a National Tour event. His most notable event, however, was his win in the United States Disc Golf Championship, his first major. His win made him only the fifth different winner in this tournament. He also bested the previous record for earnings in a year, beating Barry Schultz's total by over $2,000.
2010 season
Somehow, Nikko improved upon his previous year. In fewer events, he managed more winnings, besting his previous record by nearly $4,000. In addition to earning more, he was much more consistent, finishing no lower than 13th. Among his fourteen wins were 5 A Tiers, a National Tour event, the Vibram Open, and his second major, the 2010 Japan Open, held in Tochigi, Nasu Highlands, Japan. He also finished second at the USDGC and Scandinavian Open, both majors.
2011 season
While no majors were won this year, Nikko still had a very solid year. In 31 events played as of November 11, he has won 15. Of these 15 wins, 5 were A Tiers, and two were National Tour events. One of the A Tier wins included the Stockholm Open, held in Stockholm, Sweden. This was Nikko's only international win in 2011. As of the September and August updates, Nikko's player rating reached 1045, the second highest rating of all time, behind David Feldberg's 1046.[4]
2012 season
Nikko started out his 2012 season by winning the 13th annual Gentlemen's Club Classic. Averaging a 1070 rating over the three rounds, he took home $1,400 for his first A Tier win of the year. Shortly after on May 5–6, Nikko won his second A Tier win at the St. Louis Open tournament held annually each year. This years tournament took place at the Jefferson Barracks, Sioux Passage, and Endicott courses. Another notable win in 2012 was his in the "Ledgestone Insurance Championships Super Tour", where he took home $2,500 in winnings. Locastro finished 15th at World Championships.
Wins
| Date | Tournament | Tier | Location | Earnings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 5, 2009 | The Memorial [1] | NT | Scottsdale, Arizona | $2,500 | Results |
| October 7, 2009 | US Disc Golf Championship [2] | M | Rock Hill, South Carolina | $15,000 | Results |
| June 10, 2010 | Japan Open [3] | M | Tochigi, Japan | $5,450 | Results |
| August 13, 2010 | Vibram Open [4] | NT | Leicester, MA | $3,000 | Results |
| April 2, 2011 | Texas State Championships | NT | Hitchcock, Texas | $1,410 | Results |
| May 13, 2011 | Alabama Disc Golf Championship | NT | Athens, Alabama | $2,065 | Results |
Annual statistics
| Year | Events | Wins | Top 3 | Earnings | $ / Event | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 15 | 2 | 5 | $2,646 | $176.40 | 996 |
| 2007 | 21 | 2 | 8 | $5,536 | $263.62 | 1008 |
| 2008 | 26 | 8 | 18 | $13,848 | $532.62 | 1024 |
| 2009 | 43 | 16 | 30 | $42,926 | $998.28 | 1032 |
| 2010 | 37 | 14 | 27 | $46,757 | $1,263.70 | 1040 |
| 2011 | 34 | 17 | 24 | $31,860 | $937.06 | 1044 |
| 2012 | 22 | 5 | 9 | $14,618 | 664.45 | 1037 |
| Career | 198 | 65 | 121 | $158,191 | $690.87 | x |
- The above information was gathered from Nikko's player page. [5]
References
- ^ PDGA (December 2012). "December 2012 World Rankings". Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ^ PDGA (December 2012). "PDGA World Rankings". Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ^ PDGA (February 22, 2012). "2011 POY/ROY". Retrieved February 25, 2012.
- ^ PDGA (March 29, 2011). "He Made It!". Retrieved November 14, 2011.
http://www.stlmugshots.com/show.php?id=076156387&name=nikko-locastro