The Final Day of the 2013 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships fell nothing short of spectacular. It was a sight to see as this year’s action unfolded at Lemon Lake Park in Crown Point, Ind. 

The final nine was a challenge to take on for every competitor. It was a safari layout where swings could easily happen and leads could disappear. If the division was close, it made for an amazing show. Several of the World Champions needed these final nine holes to earn their victory. They provided the perfect stage for a picture perfect finish.

When the Open Women division entered this final nine their division was most definitely up for grabs. Anything could happen and any of the top four women could be the 2013 World Champion. It was an unforgettable experience to witness and one of the tightest battles imagined.

With all four competitors within three throws and nine tough holes ahead of them, the women entered the finals with every chance to close the door and claim their title. The round started with three-time World Champion Valarie Jenkins and 2011 World Champion Paige Pierce tied for the lead. Right behind them sat Catrina Allen and Swedish competitor Ragna Bygde in a tie for third. 

Immediately Allen birdied the first hole and sent the pressure to a boil as Pierce carded a bogey and Jenkins carded a par. Pierce followed this by gaining her throw back on the third hole and pulled the tie back with Jenkins. This was the way the round went for the Open Women divison. They traded leads throughout the first eight holes and entered the final hole of the World Championships with a tie between Jenkins and Pierce for the title. 

The final hole was on an island green finishing just beside the Lemon Lake Flight Center. The fairway was lined with hundreds of spectators to witness this picture perfect finish to an amazing World Championships.

Pierce immediately put the pressure on Jenkins by sending her drive perfectly onto the green and leaving herself with a decent putt to gain the title. Jenkins fell short of the green and left herself with a long attempt at birdie on the final hole. The women approached their lie as a steady tailwind blew across the green. 

Jenkins set up for her putt and sent it at the finishing hole with a perfect height. The wind caught the edge of the disc and gently pushed it wide and her final attempt barely missed. She was well within par range and still stood tied with Pierce if she missed her birdie attempt on the final hole.

Pierce stepped up next and lined up for the winning putt. She had an intense look in her eyes that only a World Champion can understand. She stood on her lie and slowly focused on this high pressure putt. She curled back the disc and sent it rocketing at the basket for the win. The chains smashed and the crowd roared as the Open Woman World Champion was defined. She sent out a loud, victorious yell that sent chills down the spines of the cheering spectators. She had become the 2013 World Champion and she had battled through one of the most intense tournaments of her career. 

Another division that entered this final round in a tight race was the Masters Women division. In this division Barrett White and Anni Kreml began the finals tied at four under par. There was no telling who the champion would be at the end of the day.

The two ladies made no movement through the first three holes and sat still tied entering the fourth hole of the final nine. The first lead change of the finals happened on this hole as Kreml took the lead over White as she carded a birdie to White’s par. This held until the eighth hole of the finals. Kreml ran into trouble here and found herself fighting to hold onto her one-throw lead. White sent out a perfect drive and immediately gave herself the opportunity to card a birdie three and take the lead if Kreml was to bogey after her disappointing drive. White played the hole with perfect accuracy and put on the pressure as she took a one throw lead heading to the final hole of the World Championships. She finished out the final hole and held onto her one throw lead and became victorious through another of the tightest races imaginable. 

The rest of the divisions were not as tight of a race heading into the final nine holes. Nearly every division had an established leader who just needed to play consistent enough to maintain their lead and accept their crown. They had already distanced themselves enough to hold onto their title. 

In the Open Men division Paul McBeth entered the final nine holes with a four throw lead that left him comfortable during the final nine to repeat as World Champion. He followed up his stellar tournament showing by finishing seven under through nine holes and gave no chances for anyone to catch him. He had maintained his lead through every round and never found himself out of the lead. The closest he had come was a short lived tie for first as Nikko Locastro caught him for several holes early in the event. His consistent and unmatched play left him as the 2013 Open Men World Champion. For two years in a row he has been on top.

The 2013 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships fell nothing short of amazing as the finals ticked by and winners were defined. It was a show for the hundreds of spectators lining the fairways of the Lemon Lake complex. 

Be sure to check out the full results page and the PDGA Tour feed on Flickr. Congratulations to all of the 2013 victors and hats off to every remaining competitor.

The 2013 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Champions

• Open Men – Paul McBeth
• Open Women – Paige Pierce
• Masters – Barry Schultz
• Masters Women – Barrett White
• Grand Masters – Michael Raley
• Grandmasters Women – Sandy Gast
• Senior Grandmasters – Johnny Sias
• Legends – Peter Shive
• Senior Legends – Raymond Carr