St. Paulite Is A Disc Golf Star
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Paul Molitor is a baseball legend. Joe Mauer is working on becoming the same. But there's a local athlete with ties to both who is better than both of them - at his sport, at least.
Cale Leiviska is Molitor's nephew.
"That's what I grew up doing was playing baseball," Leiviska said.
Leiviska's mother, Angie Molitor (Paul's sister), says that her son was a natural.
"He was almost a better baseball player than he is a disc golf player. He was an awesome shortstop," Molitor said.
He played for Cretin-Derham Hall, where he won a state title playing alongside Mauer.
"Yep, I was the leadoff hitter, he was the 3-hitter," Leiviska said. "So pretty much anytime I got on base, he'd get me in."
These days, he does his own cleaning up, but on the disc golf course. He's one of the top five players in the world.
"I've always had like a competitive edge, playing baseball, basketball, football," Leiviska said. "So that's one thing I did take with me to disc golf."
He took up the sport when he started college. And these days, he's the favorite on most tours.
This weekend he's competing in a pro tour event in the Twin Cities called the Minnesota Majestic at his home course - Hyland in West Bloomington.
"I know all these holes like the back of my hand," he said.
He still keeps in touch with Mauer. And it wasn't long ago he hit the course with Uncle Paul.
"He's got some work to do," Leiviska said.
Angie Molitor agreed.
"He's got that old shoulder though, you know," she said.
As for Mauer?
"He does have a basket up at his cabin," Leiviska said. "So I know he likes the game and likes that I'm one of the top pros. But he's got bigger things on his plate right now I think."
Leiviska will be competing in the finals of the Minnesota Majestic on Sunday afternoon. It starts at 3 p.m. at Hyland Disc Golf Course.
