26 miles later, we are officially done walking up, down, and across the DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course, as the final round of the 2015 “Steady” Ed Memorial Masters Cup has come to an end. It was another day of perfect NorCal weather for this event, the third stop on the 2015 PDGA National Tour.

It’s almost to the point, at least for 2015, where the question is no longer about who will win. It’s about who might have a chance, by some miracle, of beating Paige Pierce #29190 and Paul McBeth #27523. Even when they are down a few strokes, counting them out never crosses your mind. And furthermore, why would it?

Take a look at Paige’s record for the year. If for some reason winning all three of the 2015 National Tour events that have taken place thus far doesn’t impress you, keep in mind that she’s also won two B-Tiers and five A-tiers. The only event she hasn’t won this year was an A-tier in which she finished in second place, losing to Catrina Allen #44184 by two throws.

Paul’s record is just as impressive. He started the year off by winning the 2015 Aussie Open, a PDGA Major, and has since won two of the three National Tour events, plus another 7 A-tiers. And he doesn’t just win, he dominates. The closest a second place finisher has been to catching Paul has been a deficit of four throws. That might sound close, but when you’re down by four to Paul McBeth, you’re probably not going to catch up.

Paige and Paul did what they’ve been doing all year to close out the 2015 Masters Cup. Paige started the final round down by one to Val Jenkins #17495 and somehow managed to walk away as the winner...by seven.  She was the only woman at the event to shoot a round rated 1000+, and she did it twice.

Much like Paige, Paul teed off this afternoon in second place, also down by one, to Nate Doss #11794. Paul’s victory was no easy task. Even after he put himself three ahead of Nate, it was far from over. Nate continued to fight back. With four holes to go, Nate had brought the lead back down to two, carding a par on Hole 19, the same hole where McBeth took his only bogey of the round.

Doss brought the lead down to one on the third to last hole (course hole 26), carding the only birdie of the group. The excitement continued to build as they both birdied the following hole, leaving the “Top of the World” as the last remaining chance for Nate to tie it up. Despite his best efforts, Nate left his drive 75’ short and watched as McBeth put a forehand drive to just shy of the edge of the circle.

McBeth went on to hit the putt to win his fourth Masters Cup in a row. However, the gallery was much more focused on cheering for Nate. Nate learned everything he knows about disc golf in Santa Cruz, won the 2011 PDGA Pro Worlds when it was hosted in Santa Cruz, but more importantly, the final round took place on Nate’s 30th birthday, during the 30th anniversary of the Masters Cup.

After Nate’s upshot for birdie on the last hole fell short, the gallery erupted in applause and cheering. Although Nate knew his chance at winning was over, he happily waved to his fans, friends, and family members with a huge smile on his face. After all four men on the lead card had finished the hole, the crowd sang happy birthday to Nate as he walked off the course. It was a touching moment. A true display of how disc golf is more than just a sport, it’s a community.

Congratulations to Paul McBeth, Paige Pierce, Patrick Brown, Jim Oates, and Michael Barry, your 2015 “Steady” Ed Memorial Masters Cup champions. High-resolution photos from the event can be found on the PDGA Flickr page and all the videos of round coverage are available for viewing on the 2015 Masters Cup Media page.

The next stop on the 2015 PDGA National Tour is the Beaver State Fling in Portland, OR, just a few weeks away. See you in Stumptown!