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 nameNikko Locastro
Born(1988-09-16)September 16, 1988
St. Louis, Missouri
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Nationality United States
ResidenceGrass Valley, CA
Career
Turned professional2006
Current tour(s)PDGA National Tour
Disc Golf Pro Tour
Disc Golf World Tour
Professional wins100
Number of wins by tour
PDGA National Tour4
Best results in major championships
PDGA World Championships3rd: 2013, 2016
USDGCWon: 2009
European Masters14th: 2016
European Open7th: 2013
Japan OpenWon: 2010
Achievements and awards
PDGA Male Player of the Year2009, 2010, 2011
National Tour Series Champion2009, 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, the second highest rating of all time, 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
DateTournamentTierLocationEarnings
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
2010Japan OpenMDavid FeldbergWon with birdie on first extra hole [7]

Summary
Competition Tier Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-25 Events
World Championships00241011
Other Majors24291821
National Tour468305358

Annual statistics
YearEventsWinsTop 3Earnings$ / EventRating†World
Ranking†
20061525$2,646$176.40996-
20072128$5,535$263.57100837
200826818$13,848$532.62102412
2009421529$40,926$974.4310322
2010361427$45,256$1,257.1110401
2011331623$29,859$904.8210444
20122259$14,618664.45103719
201329619$25,343873.9010416
201421611$18,320872.38103321
2015321421$27,119847.4710364
201637‡1222$31,364847.681028-
Career314100192$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".
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