Payton Staman of Indianapolis, IN, matched the hot round of the day with bogey-free 7-under at the Princeton Country Club. Photo: Danny Voss / PDGA
It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
So says the old expression. And, with 90 holes to be played at the 2022 PDGA Amateur World Championships, the expression holds true in southern Indiana.
But, that doesn’t mean the start is not an important component in a run for a championship.
On Tuesday, a field of the best amateur disc golfers in the world faced the first round of a five round PDGA Major, taking place on multiple courses in the Evansville, Indiana area, in the steaming June, midwestern heat.
This year marks the first time that the top amateur fields will be split into their own event. All Masters and Juniors divisions will compete for their chance at a world title in July.
Ilkin Groh lifts his arms in celebration after emerging from a seven-hole playoff to become the 2022 U.S. Amateur champion. Photo: Justin Anderson / PDGA
Scrolling down the list of former champions, you see the names of future Pro Tour stars: Kyle Klein, Anthony Barela, Colten Montgomery– to name a few.
And so, it is only natural that, when attending a United States Amateur Disc Golf Championship, one looks around to see if they can spot, among the hopeful unknowns, glimmers of the next Klein, Barela, or Montgomery.
Zachary Tesone played steady, limiting himself to just one bogey during the second round. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA
Toboggan Bites
If anyone thought this was going to be an easy ride, that notion was quickly dispelled as the Toboggan course, home of the 2022 United States Amateur Disc Golf Championship, sunk its teeth into the field during Friday’s opening round.
Only nine players out of 158 managed to get under par, with three of those – Zachary Tesone, Ilkin Groh and Paul Krans – breaking away from the field.
Ilkin Groh (left) and Zachary Tesone (right) tee off on the iconic opening hole of the Toboggan course in Milford, MI. Photo: Justin Anderson / PDGA
Early Worm Gets the Birdies
Pulling a 7:30 a.m. tee time on the first day of a major championship may not sound like the ideal start to what is sure to be a long, draining battle – against a grueling 10,000 ft. course, full of intimidating steeps and gnarly rough, and against a stacked field of the world’s most talented amateur disc golfers.
But the early birds really did get the worm Friday as the weather gradually worsened throughout the opening round of the 2022 United States Amateur Disc Golf Championships.
Robert Burridge took down the 2021 USADGC. Photo: PDGA Media
Who’s got next?
A record field of 158 players will hit the famed Toboggan course in Milford, Michigan this weekend with a chance to join elite company, chase a PDGA Major title and continue their rise through the disc golf ranks.
The PDGA have worked with Tournament Director, Nate Heinold, to create additional spots for certain divisions where the course schedule would allow in the upcoming PDGA Masters and Junior Disc Golf World Championship events. Registration is on Disc Golf Scene at the links provided below. The work to increase these divisions will begin Monday, May 16, and the following adjusted division sizes should be reflected on Disc Golf Scene by Monday afternoon, EDT.
Chris Dickerson is now a two-time PDGA Major champion. Photo: Kevin Huver / DGPT
It was the toughest field in disc golf history, and Chris Dickerson closed it out.
Set to be a thrilling battle from the start, Dickerson closed out strong to grab his second career PDGA Major title with a photo finish at the inaugural PDGA Champions Cup presented by Bushnell on Sunday in Appling, Georgia.
“Surprisingly, I only had a few nerves on the last two or three holes,” Dickerson told Terry Miller of the Disc Golf Network. “I just told myself one shot at a time and to worry about your shot and not what anyone else was doing.
Paige Pierce is presented the PDGA Champions Cup by PDGA Executive Director Joe Chagualaf. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA
A champion of champions.
Paige Pierce displayed the fight, the skills and, after the final putt dropped in a thrilling start to the PDGA Pro Major season, the sportsmanship that defines a champion.
