Kyle Klein lines up a shot on Sunday during the 2023 USDGC. Photos: Justin Anderson / PDGA
The final PDGA Major of the year came to a close as the best players in the world took to Winthrop Arena one last time for Championship Sunday of the 2023 United States Disc Golf Championship.
After three rounds at one of the most iconic courses on tour, the final round came down to a battle between Kyle Klein and Bradley Williams as they both sought to take down their first PDGA Major win.
Kyle Klein took control and leads the USDGC by three strokes with 18 holes to go. Photos: Justin Anderson / PDGA
The wind was howling as the best players in the world made their way through Winthrop Arena in Round 3 of the 2023 United States Disc Golf Championship.
While most players were looking to climb the leaderboard, the lead card made up of four players with no PDGA Major wins — including one player in his first Elite Series/Major lead card appearance — fought to stay on top.
Eight players are within three strokes of the lead after a wild day to kick off the 25th running of the United States Disc Golf Championship, the final PDGA Major of 2023.
And we’ve got a few fresh faces at the top of the leaderboard.
Joel Freeman took off on the back nine, sparked by an eagle on the 10th to take a one-stroke lead as the only player to hit double digits on the USDGC layout at Winthrop University.
The strong start for Freeman is no surprise, given his success in Rock Hill. He’s finished inside the top 15 in his past four trips to Winthrop, including a fifth-place finish in 2021 and seventh place finish a year ago.
The USDGC is the final PDGA Pro Major of the year while the TPWDGC is a PDGA A-Tier, and both tournaments will take place simultaneously at the Winthrop Arena. While most other tournaments offer divisions based on gender or age, the USDGC combines all players who qualify into a single division.
A record-setting field from throughout the United States and around the world descended on Cedarock Park in Burlington, North Carolina in Alamance County for the annual event and the action was intense from start to finish.
FJ12 champion MJ Gager and FP40 champion Jennifer Allen. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA
Kristin Tattar wrote down that she wanted to win all of the PDGA Majors in 2023.
She would not be denied.
After four rounds at the Regulator course in Burlington, North Carolina, Tattar battled to the top at the 2023 United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships, becoming the first player in FPO history and second all-time to complete the season grand slam of winning all four PDGA Majors.
The Regulator course is already tough to begin with, and playing through cold, wet conditions made the course play multiple strokes harder than the day before. After a difficult day and a dramatic finish for the lead card on hole 18, the leaderboard once again has a familiar name sitting on top.
The course continued to play difficult as the whole field averaged almost an entire stroke higher than the day before and all but two holes averaged over par. After a long season and in the midst of a streak of playoffs and PDGA Majors, players will have to dig deep in the second half to stay focused on the final PDGA Major of the year.
Playing on a new course with the added pressure of the final PDGA Major of the year, this was a great opportunity for players to prove how well they can score and set the bar for the next three rounds. Overall, the Regulator course proved difficult as the course averaged 4.53 strokes over par and every player took at least one bogey.
And the race is on as fifteen of the 21 divisions are separated at the top by less than three strokes after the first of four rounds at the PDGA Major, which features a record-breaking 340 competitors.
Every player from all 24 divisions — from FJ10 to FA75 to FPO — is set for the four-round event over three courses, all at Cedarock Park, a 500-acre complex in southern Alamance County.
2023 USWDGC player's dinner and meeting. Photo: Justin Anderson / PDGA
