Konopištĕ Open

Coming hot off the tail of Paul McBeth’s legendary 18 down at the Discraft Great Lakes Open, the disc golf world was excited to see some of the sport’s top players at the Franz Ferdinand course in the Czech Republic. Would someone completely dominate the course like Paul did only two weeks ago? How would European players capitalize on their home course advantage?

An even bigger aspect to consider is that this year’s Konopištĕ Open was considered a PDGA Major and was not a part of the Disc Golf World Tour. Although the course remained much the same, there was a different feeling in the air. However, that was no issue for the winner, who took home his first Major win by a landslide.

Image Source Photo credit: Eino Ansio & Innova Europe

What Course Record?

It seems that records are made to be broken as of late, and the first day at the Konopištĕ Open was no exception. With a 1081-rated and bogey-free round, Eagle McMahon told the world he was there to do business, claiming the new course record for himself on day one. His 16 down was impressive, but the caliber of play at this year’s event was just as stellar, with fellow Crush Boy Simon Lizotte coming in with a -14 and DUDE Ambassador KJ Nybo with a 12 down.

The Franz Ferdinand course is long, although, with little OB to contend with and holes that favor big arms, it’s not entirely surprising to see the kinds of scores that occurred. Some speculated that the winner of the event would have a total of 40 down across all four rounds, and Eagle’s performance on Thursday certainly aimed for that result.

Pushing Through The Pain

It can be hard enough to compete in another country when you consider adjusting to a new time zone, eating foreign food, and not being able to sleep in your own bed. Yet if you become injured in the middle of your round, things become even more difficult. Battling a seemingly random wrist injury, Simon Lizotte managed to shoot four impressive rounds, and Paul McBeth sustained a groin injury that pained him after every throw of his disc.

Image Source Photo credit: Eino Ansio & Innova Europe

Despite these setbacks, both men had exceptional rounds, and after witnessing Eagle shoot -16 two days in a row, it was clear that they were vying for second place. McMahon ended the tournament with a 58 down overall, with Simon in second at 53, and Paul in third with a -49.

The Game Is Changing

Exceptional post-produced coverage is available via YouTube on The SpinTV channel, so rather than give you a detailed play by play, we want to explore the following ideas – is this really Eagle’s year? To date, he has won 3 NTs and now his first Major, and is demonstrating that he has what it takes to perform under all kinds of pressure.

On a larger note, is shooting a 16 down or even an 18 down like in Paul’s case the new normal in disc golf? Sure, some courses are challenging enough to prevent that from being the case, but just how good do you have to be to contend with the upper echelons of the sport? We’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below.