Junior Division
Forehand slinger Gabriel Watts takes down his second consecutive event after a roller-coaster round. Watts managed to juuust squeak past first time competitor Ben Wescott on the final hole thanks to some poor luck on Wescott’s part. The two good friends battled hard down the stretch and were able to cheer each other on despite being so close in competition. Great lesson there for all of us.
Watts’ competitive experience proved valuable down the stretch, as he was able to make safe, smart decisions while watching others push their limits. It was another impressive showing from an impressive young golfer.
My favourite disc golfer Evan Connors finishes in 3rd place, with the always entertaining Hayden Kendel finishing 4th and Briella Ivanoff, also playing in her first disc golf tournament, finishing 5th.
Shout out to all these kids for sharing their enthusiasm for our sport and for being respectful competitors.
Recreational Division
After knocking on the door of victory a number of times over the past two seasons, Aaron Walker finally breaks through to earn himself a much deserved win.
Walker absolutely starched the competition with a scorching +5 round to win his division handedly. He’ll be the first to tell you though that he benefitted from a light field in this event, but the truth of the matter is that he shot an absolutely amazing round of golf. Well done, Aaron! A much deserved victory for a guy who has earned it on and off the course.
Second place honours go to new club member Sam Devlin who earns a podium spot in just his second event. 2021 Rec Champion Chris Pugh returned to the field for this event and found himself right back where he belongs: on the podium. Renée Connors, my favourite female disc golfer by faaaaaaar, earns a respectable 4th place finish in her first ever competitive disc golf round.
Intermediate Division
Step aside Mr. Brind’Amour, there’s a new Rod the Bod!
Rod Dalziel takes home his second consecutive event with a very impressive +1 score on the red layout, three strokes clear of his nearest competitor. Dalziel managed three birdies on the difficult layout and managed to limit mistakes down the stretch on the B9. Another outstanding performance that puts him fully in the driver’s seat moving into our first Major.
Will Wayte earns his first podium spot with a very solid +4 score. Wayte finished very strong down the stretch, going under par on the B9 to put himself in 2nd. That’s the kind of course love karma that only comes from volunteering. Well done, Will.
We’ve got a trio of third place competitors all worthy of some praise. New guy Aaron Beckingham nails down his second consecutive podium appearance after clawing his way back from carding a +5 on hole 1 of the event. Talk about guts!
Speaking of guts, Adam Grout earns his first ever podium spot with a gritty performance. If you’ve never played a round with Grout before, it’s a treat. His smooth release ensures a straight, glidey flight every tee shot. Watching him flip up a River or a Mako3 is an absolute joy. Shoutout to Grout’s caddy Callum McDonald for helping lead his good buddy onto the podium.
Finally, last but not least, Jerry Griffin also broke through to earn himself an INT podium finish with a stellar round. Griffin (tough hockey guy FYI) is a competitor and has clearly been working to improve his game over the past season. He’s playing smart golf and reaping the rewards. He’ll be one to watch as the season progresses.
Special shoutout to last event’s Rec winner Dan Evanson for moving up to INT and putting in a stellar 7th place finish. He’s now firmly in the mix in his division’s standings.
Advanced Division
After a whole bunch of announcements about first-time podium finishers, we get a familiar face at the top of the leaderboard in Advanced. Jeremy Newman added another victory to his tally by squeezing in a final birdie on Hole 18. Newman struggled on the B9 and looked like he was at risk of falling off the podium entirely, but clutched up when it mattered, absolutely parking his drive on 18 to within three feet for the victory.
Chris Hodgson was just a stroke behind in second place for his highest finish at a club event. With Hodgson pushing for the top at every event, you know it’s only a matter of time until he earns a victory.
Just behind Hodgson was El Presidente Jeff Doran in 3rd place. Another event, another podium for JD… ho-hum. All this guy does is win money playing disc golf! In all seriousness, Doran comes ready to compete at every event and I suspect he’ll be in the mix all season long. Strong mental game, even better punk rock vocals.
Open Division
The pioneer!
Sunshine Coast disc golf pioneer Matt Smith shoots the hot round to win his first ever club tournament! Smith has been a long-time club member and has spent countless hours volunteering his time at Shirley Macey Park.
He has literally helped shape the course through years of good, old fashioned ‘boots on the ground’ work. He’ll tell you it’s a labour of love, but he deserves some recognition so it’s very fitting to see him get rewarded with an Open victory.
Lucky for him though that he had a lefty-friendly layout to work with this past weekend…
Finishing 2nd place for the second event in a row is course designer and fellow pioneer Denny Nordli. Nordli carded the most birdies of any competitor in the event and did his very best to avoid carding pars. In other words, his scorecard was quite colorful. Shoutout to Nordli for putting in some serious time and effort to make this tournament possible for our club.
Club newcomer but OG frisbee golfer Andrew Sponagle had the outright lead for awhile on Sunday, but faltered a bit down the stretch to fall to 3rd place. Still, a podium finish in his first club tournament is very impressive. Look for him to make his presence felt as the season wears on.
Speaking of very impressive individuals, Trevor Connors earned himself his first Open podium by tying Sponagle in 3rd place. Connors played a safe, calculated round and was spurred on by the sheer beauty and grace of his cardmate Renée Connors.
