EUREKA, Ill. – Disc golfers from around the world will converge on central Illinois this weekend as they take part in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country.
From Thursday through Sunday the annual Ledgestone Open will take place, with champions in a wide range of divisions being crowned. Other events surrounding the tournament includes a FlyMart flea market in Morton, glow disc golf in Washington, ice cream socials, and concerts.
On the professional side, the men will play four rounds at Lake Eureka with the women playing four rounds at Sunset Hills in Pekin. The decision to remove Northwood Black from the course rotation for the pros came after it was used exclusively for Champions Cup in April.
One of the professionals trying to top the field this weekend is Chris Clemons of Kansas City, Mo.
“This event’s awesome. The first time I came here, I think, was in 2017, and they always have the best payouts. The courses are awesome. And I’ve always played really well out here at Lake Eureka,” Clemons said.
Clemons was on the first card to tee off at Lake Eureka on Thursday, finishing +1 for his round.
Favorites on the men’s side this weekend include 6-time world champion Paul McBeth of Huntington Beach, CA, , European Open champion Gannon Buhr of Urbandale, Iowa, and Anthony Barela of Scottsdale, AZ, a 4-time winner this season.
Favorites in the women’s field this weekend include Missy Gannon of Beacon, NY, who won last weekend’s European Disc Golf Festival, FPO 40+ Masters champion Ohn Scoggins of Los Angeles, and multiple time major winner Paige Pierce.
Nate Heinold has been tournament director since its humble beginnings in 2011, when it was an unsanctioned tournament. It’s now grown to an event that brings in more than 2,400 pros and amateurs playing on 15 courses in the area.
“It’s special because these are the courses I’ve helped build and helped put in, and it means a lot, once a year, to bring everyone here to central Illinois,” Heinold said.
Heinold says 100 staffers and more than 200 volunteers are helping run the event this weekend. He says while he’s working 20 hour days the week of the tournament, he would not trade it for anything in the world.
Heinold says he’s to try and grow the game by adding a new course each year, saying it can show other areas without the sport a reason to be involved.
Disc golf broadcaster Terry Miller, also known as “The Disc Golf Guy,” says the Ledgestone Open is one of the “legacy” events of the Disc Golf Pro Tour.
“This is one of the first five events that was part of the inaugural year in 2016. It’s now grown into this behemoth of an event overall. The fact that there is more than 2,000 total players. It’s a 4-day Disc Golf Pro Elite+ event now, which is one of the most elevated statuses that you can have,” Miller said.
Miller says disc golf has helped put Peoria on the map, with how established the disc golf scene is in the area. He says communities in central Illinois should embrace bringing the tournament in with players from around the world boosting local economies.
Comments