The final day of the 2014 Amateur & Junior World Championships is done and we officially have 16 new world champions. The Twin Cities were great hosts, both of which are home to amazing disc golf courses, clubs, and volunteers. The historic city of St. Paul was home to the finals today as hundreds of competitors and fans alike crowded the beautiful Como Park. Como Park served as a fantastic venue for the finals as it was set up in a way that allowed for competitive play while also maximizing the amount of space for spectators to come out and watch all the action.
It’s been an amazing week of disc golf here at the 2014 Amateur & Junior World Championships. The competition began four days ago on Tuesday July 22nd as 600+ players took to eight different courses across the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area. When the final putts hit the chains today it meant the end of the tournament for nearly 70 percent of the competitors. The cuts have now officially been made leaving only the semifinals and finals tomorrow at Como Park where 13 new PDGA Amateur World Champions will be crowned.
Speaking of new champions, there were three divisions with field sizes too small to move on to the finals, meaning we officially have three new world champions to congratulate!
Here is the Como Park Finals Map There should be "whiskers" in the ground at the tee and basket locations. (We were not allowed to paint.) Blue or white whiskers are at the tees and red whiskers at the baskets. Whiskers are a dozen 5" plastic strands popping up from the ground.
It seems impossible but somehow the third day of the 2014 Amateur & Junior World Championships is already over. What seems impossible isn’t that the third day is over. It’s that it’s only been three days! It’s been a nonstop madhouse of disc golf and disc golf related activities from dawn to well beyond dusk since Tuesday. It’s all going by way too fast yet at the same time it feels as though we’ve been here a month already.
Two down, three to go. Days that is. It’s hard to believe how much more disc golf there is to go here at the 2014 Amateur & Junior World Championships. We’ve all been quite lucky so far weather-wise and if the forecasts hold true, it looks as if that pattern will continue throughout the remainder of the event. The ideal conditions should make for a few more rounds of no-excuses, championship caliber disc golf on courses with conditions that can only be described as pristine.
Badges!?! You DO need your stinkin' badges! For those players who will be playing at Bryant Lake either Thursday or Friday, please remember to bring your player badges and lanyards. In order to not be charged for admission, you must display your badge. Thanks and good luck!
Day one of the 2014 Amateur & Junior World Championships is now officially in the books. To be honest, other than the fact that we're extremely happy the day went off without a hitch, it doesn't mean all that much as far as the leaderboards go, and for several reasons. For starters, the largest field of competitors, Advanced Men, has two pools that have played two rounds and two that have only played one. For the other 15 divisions, the same can be said based simply on the fact that Am Worlds is a 4-5 day long test of endurance, patience, mental and physical fortitude, and of course, skill.
On Tuesday July 21, 2014 at 8:00am CDT the first discs will be thrown to start off one of the largest events in disc golf, the 2014 PDGA Amateur & Junior Disc Golf World Championships . The Minneapolis/St. Paul area is hosting the event this year with 620+ competitors in 14 different divisions playing on eight courses spread out over a period of five days. Whether you’re a player, a staff member, or a volunteer, your effort for the remainder of the week should be applauded. As a competitor, the amount of mental and physical endurance it takes to finish at the top of your division is unmatched by any other amateur event all year.
Registration is now officially closed for the July 19th Amateur Mixed Doubles and Junior Divisional Doubles as well as the July 20th Field Events. Walk-ups will NOT be accepted at these activities.
More than 1000 PDGA members will soon be heading to Minnesota and/or Oregon for the PDGA Amateur or Professional World Disc Golf Championships. They're heading to some of the best areas in the country, not only for disc golf but for exploring and places to live. It's no surprise to those who live there that their states and cities rank near the top of several "Best of" categories. Here are some of the factors and variables that have helped support the development of disc golf in both states.
Today is the last day to register for Am Worlds or get on the Am Worlds waitlist. Today is also the last day for players that are in Am Worlds to withdraw and receive a full refund minus the $10 handling fee. Those withdrawing from the event after today will only receive a player’s pack.
As of Friday, April 18th, registration is officially open for the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships and the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships. At this stage of the registration process, only those that have been invited to compete in the event are able to register. Listed below are the dates of the next phases of the Pro Worlds and Am Worlds registration process.
Due to delays in getting invitation information sent out to invitees for both the 2014 Amateur/Junior and Pro World Championships there is concern that the USPS invites sent to those without email addresses may not be received in time for the original registration opening date of Friday, April 11th.
Registration for both Worlds will now open on Friday, April 18th at 12:00AM Eastern Daylight Savings Time.