A new finish to hole 18 at W.R. Jackson debuts at the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup. Photo: Justin Anderson / PDGA

The first Major of the year is finally upon us.

After four events, the PDGA Elite Series heads to the International Disc Golf Center in Appling, Georgia for the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup presented by Bushnell.

The PDGA Champions Cup is a new PDGA Major first introduced in 2022. Since other Majors held in the U.S. typically take place late in the season, a springtime Major was a perfect addition to last year’s tour. The 2023 season has been full of dramatic finishes and chase card wins, the added pressure of a Major is sure to bring out the best performances from the best players.

PDGA members can watch the Champions Cup for free »

In the words of last year’s MPO winner, Chris Dickerson, “Being in the moment, that type of stress, that type of pressure, it’s unlike anything else that I’ve experienced in sports. But that’s a feeling that I want to feel again, it’s a feeling that I would like to feel every weekend.”

Players with multiple Major wins are seeking to prove they can do it again, last year’s winners want to defend their title, and this year’s highly competitive field is full of players hunting their first Major win.

All four rounds of the Champions Cup will once again take place at the W.R. Jackson Memorial Course at Wildwood Park. This course is famously tough as its fairways carve through the woods, showcasing players’ shot shaping abilities. At 10,392 feet for MPO and 9,050 feet for FPO, the course is still fairly long.

When talking about the course, last year’s FPO champ, Paige Pierce said, “Any time you’re on W.R. Jackson, it feels epic, you feel miniscule compared to these giant trees (…) Even with all these huge fairways, it’s a really cool mix of open and wooded. You have enough space to get the full flight of your disc.”

Full information on the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup »

W.R. Jackson has had a few notable changes for this year’s Champions Cup. Hole 18 has been moved out into the open field behind the International Disc Golf Center to allow for more spectators to watch the final hole play out. The teepad on 14 has been moved for the MPO field to alleviate some course congestion as well. Both holes went from a par 5 in 2022 to par 4 this year, making each hole more difficult with a tunnel shot off the tee on 14 and tight OB by the basket on 18. The FPO course layout has also seen a few adjustments with new pin positions for holes 6, 11, and 13 to allow for more score separation after very few birdies were scored on these holes in 2022.

The 2022 Champions Cup came down to the last hole in the final round as Kristin Tattar led by one stroke over Paige Pierce. Pierce had a tap-in birdie while Tattar was putting for birdie from outside the circle. Tattar could win the tournament by sinking the putt, or force a playoff by laying up. She decided to run it, but missed the basket and hit a tree root that caused a rollaway. Tattar was unable to make the comebacker and ended up taking a double bogey while Pierce took a birdie and secured the win at nine strokes under par.

When asked about her difficulties on the final hole last year, Tattar said, “In general, I think these moments, they’re great teachers. And to see that I was able to go through it, it shows me that I can do anything.”  

Both Tattar and Pierce have had terrific starts to their 2023 seasons with Pierce winning The Open at Austin and Tattar winning the Waco Annual Charity Open as well as the Music City Open. Catrina Allen, who won the 2023 Las Vegas Challenge, wasn’t in contention to win the Champions Cup last year, but proved her capabilities on this course with a bogey-free seven-under score on the final round to jump up 13 places.

The MPO field also saw a tight final round for the 2022 Champions Cup. Ricky Wysocki held the lead going into the final round, with Chris Dickerson just two strokes behind. Wysocki was able to score seven under par, but Dickerson’s 11-under bogey-free round pushed him into the lead and made him the first MPO winner of the PDGA Champions Cup. Never to be left out of the conversation in any Major, Paul McBeth scored 16-under in the final round with two eagles, setting the course record. If McBeth were to win this year, he will have won every active major at least once.

“I’d rather shoot four 10-unders than one 16,” McBeth said when asked what it will take to win this year, “It’s sacrifice, it’s not just what you’re doing this week, it’s what you’ve been doing the last couple years.”

While the course is playing harder this year, the sunny forecast promises some hot scores as the PDGA Elite Series returns to Georgia for the second-ever PDGA Champions Cup.