One of the best things about disc golf is the ability for people of all ages to play. Unlike strenuous activities like basketball, football, or soccer, disc golf can be played at literally every age. Nowhere was this more true than at the 2018 PDGA Tim Selinske US Masters Championships at Lemon Lake County Park, with some competitors playing in the 80+ division!
Dedicated to Innova founding partner and PDGA Hall of Fame Member Tim Selinske, the tournament carries on the tradition he started in the year 2000. With a desire to offer an event specifically for masters players, Tim saw the need for this age protected set-up as a way to promote the sport to individuals of all ages.
This year’s tournament saw 258 players across a range of divisions and a handful of courses. While the event used to be held in California each year, it now travels around the nation, and Crown Point, Indiana did a fantastic job of hosting these players. Let’s take a look at the action!
Top Names In The Lead
The first round at the 2018 PDGA Tim Selinske US Masters Championships saw some familiar faces starting the day off right, with the hot round of 54 held by Robert Ryan out of Aptos, CA. Close behind him was JohnE McCray and Barry Schultz, with Dave Feldberg and Don Smith not far behind. Despite shooting a great initial round, well-known California player Patrick Brown ended up withdrawing from the event.
Deciding she wanted to take hold of the lead right off the bat, Courtney McCoy bested the rest of the Pro Masters Women 40+ group by four strokes in the first round.
Battle At The Top
Not wanting to be left behind, JohnE McCray turned on the heat for round two and kept his scores close to, yet slightly better than, Robert Ryan as other top Masters players that we commonly see on tour slightly let up on the gas a bit. A number of other divisions, including Am Masters 50+ and Pro Masters Women 60+, saw some tight competition, and as players were halfway through with the event things were fairly tight.
The final day of the event actually saw McCray three back from the best score of the day, yet once all four rounds were completed it didn’t matter – the Florida native took home first place with a five-stroke margin, making it his third win of the 2018 season.
On the ladies’ side of things, Lesli Todd had an impressive second place finish in her division while McCoy just edged above for the win with a total of 3 down for the event.
So often we forget that disc golf competition can be fierce at any age – it’s not just the young guns who can bomb a mile that is fun to watch. The true enjoyment of disc golf comes from the calculated game plans, the impressive set of skills, and the smiles you see on each player’s face as they are doing what they love!
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