Nikko Locastro

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 April 2017, Locastro is ranked 6th in the world,[1] and has the 10th highest rating, currently at 1029.[2] 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, Innova Discs,[3] and Prodigy Disc.[4] He is currently sponsored by Westside Discs. In 2011, Locastro was awarded the Player of the Year award, for the third consecutive year.[5]

Nikko Locastro
— Disc Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	Nikko Locastro
Born	(1988-09-16)September 16, 1988 St. Louis, Missouri
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Grass Valley, CA
Career
Turned professional	2006
Current tour(s)	PDGA National Tour Disc Golf Pro Tour Disc Golf World Tour
Professional wins	100
Number of wins by tour
PDGA National Tour	4
Best results in major championships
PDGA World Championships	3rd: 2013, 2016
USDGC	Won: 2009
European Masters	14th: 2016
European Open	7th: 2013
Japan Open	Won: 2010
Achievements and awards
PDGA Male Player of the Year	2009, 2010, 2011
National Tour Series Champion	2009, 2011

Amateur career

Locastro 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, Locastro decided to play professionally.

Professional career

2009 season

Locastro'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, Locastro 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, Locastro 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 Locastro's only international win in 2011. As of the September and August updates, Locastro's player rating reached 1045, at that time the second highest rating yet, behind David Feldberg's 1046.[6]

2012 season

Locastro 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, Locastro 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.

Professional wins

Notable wins

Date	Tournament	Tier	Location	Earnings
March 5, 2009	The Memorial	NT	Scottsdale, Arizona	$2,500	Results
October 7, 2009	US Disc Golf Championship	M	Rock Hill, South Carolina	$15,000	Results
June 10, 2010	Japan Open	M	Tochigi, Japan	$5,450	Results
August 13, 2010	Vibram Open	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

Major, NT playoff record (1-0)

Year	Tournament	Tier	Opponent(s)	Result
2010	Japan Open	M	David Feldberg	Won with birdie on first extra hole [7]

Summary

Competition Tier	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-25	Events
World Championships	0	0	2	4	10	11
Other Majors	2	4	2	9	18	21
National Tour	4	6	8	30	53	58

Annual statistics

Year	Events	Wins	Top 3	Earnings	$ / Event	Rating^†	World Ranking^†
2006	15	2	5	$2,646	$176.40	996	-
2007	21	2	8	$5,535	$263.57	1008	37
2008	26	8	18	$13,848	$532.62	1024	12
2009	42	15	29	$40,926	$974.43	1032	2
2010	36	14	27	$45,256	$1,257.11	1040	1
2011	33	16	23	$29,859	$904.82	1044	4
2012	22	5	9	$14,618	664.45	1037	19
2013	29	6	19	$25,343	873.90	1041	6
2014	21	6	11	$18,320	872.38	1033	21
2015	32	14	21	$27,119	847.47	1036	4
2016	37^‡	12	22	$31,364	847.68	1028	-
Career	314	100	192	$254,834	$811.57	-	-

The above information was gathered from Locastro's player page.
^†At Year End
^‡Includes Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship (not PDGA Sanctioned)

References

1. PDGA (April 2017). "PDGA World Rankings - April 2017 - Men". Retrieved 2017-06-15.
2. PDGA (April 2017). "PDGA Player Statistics". Retrieved 2017-06-15.
3. "Team Innova Dominates the Start of 2012".
4. Giggey, B. "Prodigy Disc and "Vested Interest"".
5. PDGA (February 22, 2012). "2011 POY/ROY". Retrieved 2012-02-25.
6. PDGA (March 29, 2011). "He Made It!". Retrieved 2011-11-14.
7. "2010 Japan Open--Dramatic Disc Golf Finals".

External links

• Nikko Locastro Website
• PDGA Stats Page