Nikko Locastro
Encyclopedia
Nikko Locastro is a professional disc golf
er from St. Louis, Missouri
. He has been playing the sport professionally since 2006. As of October, 2011, Nikko is ranked fourth in the world, and has the highest rating, currently at 1043. Although he has only been playing professionally, for six years, Nikko has improved quickly and added several Major wins to his name. In 2009, and then again in 2010, he broke Barry Schultz's
season winnings record. He is currently sponsored by Gateway Discs.
, 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 go professional.
, 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.
. He also finished second at the USDGC and Scandinavian Open, both majors.
Disc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
er from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He has been playing the sport professionally since 2006. As of October, 2011, Nikko is ranked fourth in the world, and has the highest rating, currently at 1043. Although he has only been playing professionally, for six years, Nikko has improved quickly and added several Major wins to his name. In 2009, and then again in 2010, he broke Barry Schultz's
Barry Schultz
Barry Schultz is a professional disc golfer currently based out of Rock Hill, South Carolina.Barry has been playing disc golf since the early 1980s, and has been a professional since 1992. He is currently on the Innova Star team. For a number of years, he was one of the most dominant players on...
season winnings record. He is currently sponsored by Gateway Discs.
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, KentuckyBowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
, 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 go professional.
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 ChampionshipUnited States Disc Golf Championship
The United States Disc Golf Championship is a disc golf tournament held at the Winthrop Gold Course, on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The professional event was held annually from 1999 to 2010, before moving to a biennial schedule. Along with the PDGA World...
, 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
Barry Schultz
Barry Schultz is a professional disc golfer currently based out of Rock Hill, South Carolina.Barry has been playing disc golf since the early 1980s, and has been a professional since 1992. He is currently on the Innova Star team. For a number of years, he was one of the most dominant players on...
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, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. 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.Notable Wins
| Date | Tournament | Tier | Location | Earnings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Memorial http://memorialchampionship.com/ | NT | Scottsdale, AZ | $2,500 | Results | |
| US Disc Golf Championship http://www.usdgc.com/ | M | Rock Hill, SC | $15,000 | Results | |
| Japan Open http://www.japanopen.info/ | M | Tochigi, Japan | $5,450 | Results | |
| Vibram Open http://www.maplehillopen.com/ | NT | Leicester, MA | $3,000 | Results | |
| Texas State Championships | NT | Hitchcock, TX | $1,410 | Results | |
| Alabama Disc Golf Championship | NT | Athens, AL | $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 | 32 | 15 | 21 | $29,360 | $917.50 | 1044 |
| Career | 174 | 57 | 109 | $141,073 | $810.76 | x |
- The above information was gathered from Nikko's player page. http://www.pdga.com/player_stats/25058