The United States Disc Golf Championship concluded Saturday as Paul McBeth earned a victory at the Major on Winthrop’s course for the third time in his career.
McBeth and fellow competitor Kyle Klein remained tied at 26-under par after four rounds, forcing a playoff. On the first playoff hole, McBeth teed off with a beautiful throw that set him up 27-feet from the basket.
While Klein earned a par, McBeth made his birdie putt to win the title.
In the Throw Pink Women’s Disc Golf Championship, Missy Gannon emerged victorious with a score of 2-under par, which was two strokes ahead of second-place finisher Kona Star Panis.
McBeth previously won the U.S. Disc Golf Championship in 2015 and 2018. Last year, his 24-under par performance was good enough to earn him a fifth-place finish alongside Klein, who also finished at 24-under par in 2020.
The USDGC has been played on the Winthrop course since the tournament’s inception in 1999. According to the U.S. Disc Golf Championship website, the course allows for creativity in shot-making.
“Although the course has seen minor changes each year, it always presents a combination of narrow fairways, lots of out-of-bounds area, elevated baskets, and plenty of water,” the website reads.
This year, one change included the addition of five poles rising up from the ground in front of the tee pad on the ninth hole, which pro Brodie Smith referred to as “mozzarella sticks” on a video he posted to Twitter during the Monday practice round.
Smith birdied the ninth hole in three of the four rounds but finished the tournament in a four-way tie for 71st place with a score of nine-over par.
After seeing the new obstacle on the ninth hole, some fans on Twitter suggested it is time for the U.S. Disc Golf Championship to be played somewhere other than Winthrop.
“What a joke. Can’t stand gimmick stuff in disc golf, if you want to make it harder either reconstruct the tee pad or basket and/or make a new hole completely,” one fan (@PmoneyYO) tweeted.
“Make this the final year at Winthrop please,” tweeted another fan (@stetler_chris).
While some fans may be displeased with the Winthrop course, plenty of others turned out for the tournament, which was evident as McBeth’s tournament-winning putt drew a large uproar from the crowd.
According to UDisc.com, interest and participation in disc golf have been on the rise since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Once research showed that outdoor activities were generally safe during the pandemic, participation in disc golf rebounded – and skyrocketed,” the website reads.
In January, UDisc’s round count was up 250% compared to statistics from January 2020.
Although Winthrop’s course may appear “gimmicky” to some, one thing it does offer is an incredible amount of space for spectators to watch the tournament as they please. If interest in disc golf continues to rise, Winthrop should have no trouble accommodating more fans at the U.S. Disc Golf Championship in the future.
By winning this year’s tournament, McBeth pocketed a $20,000 prize, while Gannon took home a $6,000 prize for winning the women’s championship.
