Nikko Locastro

Nikko Locastro
— Disc golfer —
Personal information
Full nameNikko Locastro
Born(1988-09-16)September 16, 1988
St. Louis, Missouri
Height5 ft 5 in (165 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

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 May 2023, Locastro was ranked 54th in the world, and had the 40th highest rating at 1027.

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,[1] and Prodigy Disc.[2] by Westside Discs through 2021, and as of December 27, 2021 announced that he is leaving Westside for the 2022 season. In 2011, Locastro was awarded the Player of the Year award, for the third consecutive year.[3] In 2022, he was disqualified at the European Open due to an incident involving Nikko threatening a tournament official.[4] He was subsequently suspended by the PDGA for 9 months, followed by 15 months of probation.[5]

Professional career

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2009 season

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In Locastro's 2009 season he played 43 events and won 16 of them. Of the 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

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Locastro's 2010 season 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 also 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

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In 31 events played as of November 11, Locastro had 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

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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. That year's tournament took place at the Jefferson Barracks, Sioux Passage, and Endicott courses. He also won the Ledgestone Insurance Championships Super Tour, where he took home $2,500 in winnings. Locastro finished 15th at World Championships.

Professional wins

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Notable wins

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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
July 5, 2020 The Preserve Championship DGPT Clearwater, Minnesota $4,200 Results
March 14, 2021 Waco Annual Charity Open DGPT Waco, Texas $5,000 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

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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
Disc Golf Pro Tour 1 0 3 2 22 27

Annual statistics

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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. [5]
At Year End
Includes Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship (not PDGA Sanctioned)

References

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  1. ^ "Team Innova Dominates the Start of 2012". 27 February 2012.
  2. ^ Giggey, B. "Prodigy Disc and "Vested Interest"".
  3. ^ PDGA (February 22, 2012). "2011 POY/ROY". Retrieved 2012-02-25.
  4. ^ PDGA (22 July 2022). "2022 Statement Regarding Nikko Locastro's Disqualification at the 2022 European Open".
  5. ^ Charlie Eisenhood. "Nikko Locastro Suspended for Nine Months".
  6. ^ PDGA (March 29, 2011). "He Made It!". Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  7. ^ "2010 Japan Open--Dramatic Disc Golf Finals". YouTube. 2 July 2010.
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