The 25th year of the USDGC has had a record-breaking start – indicative of the rest of this week. It’s no secret that for the past 25 years, the championship, and all its side events, have continuously pushed the boundaries of the disc golf event industry. Doubles, qualifiers, and the distance qualifier shattered records leading into this year’s event.
USDGC Doubles
Doubles is the premier annual event that kicks off the championship week. The amateur event gives players a chance to play the Winthrop Arena Course in all its glory, and this year was one for the books.
Ginelle freakin’ Kohl and Kelly Tucker fought hard against Alecia Trauscht and Linda Ray all 3 rounds. Going into the final round, the two teams were tied up. Trauscht and Ray shot 1 under par the first two rounds, taking an ever so slight lead. However, Kohl and Tucker weren’t ready to give up. The duo came back on hole 3 shooting -1 under and made par the next two holes. The groups were neck and neck. At the end, Kohl and Tucker shot a 10 under par round, ending the tournament 6 under. To make the win even more impressive, the two competed in the largest women’s field ever with 48 athletes.
The men’s league was just as exciting with the winners, Ryan Monn and Davidson McMurray shooting a whopping 36 under par, the lowest in doubles history! There was no competition for this group who shot 15 under round 1, 12 under round 2, and 9 under on the final round.
Monday Qualifiers
The USDGC Monday qualifying competition was tight the entire round. Each hole had the potential to ruin a player’s round and chance to get into the championship. Only 5 of the top players qualify for the men’s division.
Luke Callaghan and John Blackburn tied for 1st, both shooting a 4 under par round. The two battled it out the entire time, with Callaghan scoring better on Hole 2 and 6, then Blackburn coming back on holes 7 and 8.
Zach Melton secured 3rd, and a spot at the USDGC, with a 1 under par round. Melton was ahead of Blackburn until the last half of the round, where a series of bogeys cost him.
Rounding up the qualifiers are Nathaniel Johnson and Randon Latta, who tied for 4th place.
TPWDGC Monday Qualifying
On the women’s side, the competition was just as fierce with near perfect conditions creating a level playing field. Right out the gate, Sandra Richardson shot a birdie on Hole 1, which is a par 3, and made a circle 1 putt. Landing her T1 with Raven Klein. Richardson, determined to take 1st, differentiated her game on the very next hole where she made par and Klein shot 1 over. Richardson wrapped up her round finishing 2 over par and secured herself a 1st place win and a spot at the Throw Pink Women’s Championship.
Tied for second was Cynthia Ricciotti and Erika Stinchcomb, both names familiar to the TPWDGC.
Ricciotti had a straight par round until Hole 5, which proved difficult for the athlete, who shot +3 par. Refusing to let that shake her game, Ricciotti turned around to shoot straight birdies the next three holes. Stinchcomb had a steady round filled with par shots. Despite getting +3 on hole 6, Stinchcomb remained steady with a par on hole 7 and birdies on holes 9 and 10. The two finished 4 over par.
Check out all the stats for Monday Qualifying and the championships on UDisc.com or watch all the action live on discgolfnetwork.com.
US Distance Championship
Keeping the trend, the US Distance Championship had the largest field ever with 52 competitors.
For the women’s division, Eliezra Midtlyng took first with a spin of 1439, speed of 68 mph, and a whopping distance of 514′! Ella Hansen followed suit with the same spin, but a speed of 63 and distance of 473′. In third was Henna Bloomroos with a spin of 1365, speed of 66, and distance of 443′.
In the open division, the competition was tight. In third was Hjalte Jensen with a spin of 1471, speed of 76, and distance of 624′! Throwing a mere 14′ more than Jensen was Rasmus Saukoriipi, with a speed of 81 and a spin of 1367. Taking the lead, with a distance of 651′, was David Wiggins Jr. Wiggins threw a speed of 81 with a spin of 1552.
Congratulations to all the competitors from this weekend!