2012 National Tour Elite Series
2012 National Tour Elite Series
Kicking off with The Memorial Championship in Arizona, the 2012 PDGA National Tour Elite Series presented by Vibram Disc Golf looks to raise the bar for our marquis events.
Appling, Georgia--The Professional Disc Golf Association, along with presenting sponsor Vibram Disc Golf, is pleased to announce its 2012 PDGA National Tour Elite Series schedule and the Drive for the Championship. Celebrating its tenth season, the PDGA National Tour looks to present the players, PDGA members, and the rest of the country with the highest caliber events our sport has to offer. The 2012 schedule features six events starting with The Memorial Championship at the end of February and culminates in mid-August at the Vibram Open.
The Memorial Championship presented by Discraft kicks off the tour from Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, Arizona February 29th through March 3rd. With an anticipated combined purse of over $100,000, this looks to be one of the largest payouts disc golf has ever seen. The players will compete on two of the most beautiful, well-renowned courses in the country, Vista del Camino and Fountain Hills. Along with the tournament, The Memorial Experience is back for its third year. The Experience is a celebration of the sport of disc golf involving a hands-on approach to the promotion of the sport and a festival atmosphere with live music and entertainment.
After the Memorial, the PDGA Tour heads to the west coast, back to the site of last year’s PDGA Professional World Championships for the “Steady” Ed Memorial Masters Cup presented by DGA. Santa Cruz, California’s scenic DeLaveaga disc golf course will host the event on May 18th through the 20th. Then, the series makes its way to the nation’s breadbasket for the 30th Annual Kansas City Wide Open in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Flying Disc Club is shooting for the stars to make this year’s Wide Open an extraordinary event in celebration of its 30th anniversary. The series continues on to Estacada, Oregon for the Beaver State Fling on June 15th through the 17th. The Beaver State Fling has a storied past and tradition of excellence which continues to draw top level disc golfers back to the grandeur of the Pacific Northwest year after year.
The Tour takes a six week break after the Fling as the combined Professional and Amateur World Championships hits the Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina in mid-July.
Rounding out the 2012 PDGA National Tour we have the Brent Hambrick Memorial and the series finale and crowning event, Vibram Open. The Brent Hambrick Memorial Open will be contested on August 4th and 5th, in Columbus, Ohio. The PDGA National Tour presenting partner, Vibram Disc Golf, will host the Vibram Open at Maple Hill in Leicester, Massachusetts on August 16th through the 19th.
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 29 - Mar. 3 | The Memorial Championship | Phoenix, AZ |
| May 18 - 20 | "Steady" Ed Memorial Masters Cup | Santa Cruz, CA |
| June 1 - 3 | Kansas City Wide Open | Kansas City, MO |
| June 15 -17 | Beaver State Fling | Portland, Oregon |
| Aug. 4 - 5 | Brent Hambrick Memorial | Columbus, OH |
| Aug. 16 - 19 | Vibram Open at Maple Hill | Leicester, MA |
The 2012 PDGA National Tour Elite Series presented by Vibram Disc Golf looks to be the best yet. With the consolidation of the tour to six events, the PDGA is striving to showcase the highest quality tournaments of the sport.
The Drive for the Championship presented by Vibram Disc Golf
The 2012 PDGA National Tour will feature the top players in the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions as they compete in the fourth annual “Drive for the Championship”. The “Drive” will consist of the first five National Tour Elite Series events plus the series finale Vibram Open. Players will accumulate points throughout the season as they compete for trophies, cash bonuses and the title of 2012 PDGA Tour Series Champion.
The 2012 National Tour Elite Series will consist of six events held across the country. Series points from a player’s top three National Tour finishes from the first five events plus the points from the Vibram Open will determine the 2012 PDGA National Tour Series Champion.
Points will be awarded based on a competitor’s order of finish in an individual event per the table below.
| Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 11 | 72 | 21 | 52 | 31 | 33 |
| 2 | 95 | 12 | 70 | 22 | 50 | 32 | 32 |
| 3 | 91 | 13 | 68 | 23 | 48 | 33 | 31 |
| 4 | 88 | 14 | 66 | 24 | 46 | 34 | 30 |
| 5 | 85 | 15 | 64 | 25 | 44 | 35 | 29 |
| 6 | 82 | 16 | 62 | 26 | 42 | 36 | 28 |
| 7 | 80 | 17 | 60 | 27 | 40 | 37 | 27 |
| 8 | 78 | 18 | 58 | 28 | 38 | 38 | 26 |
| 9 | 76 | 19 | 56 | 29 | 36 | 39 | 25 |
| 10 | 74 | 20 | 54 | 30 | 34 | 40 | 24 |
With the exception of the Men’s And Women’s Series Champions, the bonuses for all ties will be divided evenly. Point standings will be displayed in whole numbers, with fractions maintained for the purposes of tiebreaking.
| Open | Women | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2000 | 1 | $1000 |
| 2 | $1500 | 2 | $600 |
| 3 | $1000 | 3 | $400 |
| 4 | $750 | 4 | $250 |
| 5 | $600 | 5 | $100 |
| 6 | $500 | Total | $2350 |
| 7 | $400 | ||
| 8 | $350 | ||
| 9 | $300 | ||
| 10 | $250 | ||
| Total | $7650 | ||
In the case of a tie for the Series Champion the following tie-breakers will be utilized:
1) Head-to-head record at the Vibram Open.
2) Head-to-head record in all National Tour events.
3) Sum of points at all National Tour events
4) Sudden death playoff