Disc Golf Championships Shine with the Sun at Circle Bar and Dexter

Ohn Scoggins, the WP40 winner, works with the wind at Circle Bar’s 18th pin.

 

By TREY KODMAN/for The Herald  —  Of all the sporting events ever experienced, my introduction this Memorial Day weekend to disc golf was overdue. The unmistakable clanking of basket chains while disc golfers practiced their putts, to hearing the camaraderie in the voices of fans and followers near the Circle Bar Golf Course clubhouse, was enough to realize there is a sturdy foundation for this sport starting Thursday morning.

Action during the first round at Circle Bar on Thursday

Quickly noticeable were small but die-hard crowds applauding their favorites and a PDGA camera crew following the top card of the Female Pro 40 class as they battled. That round of four female disc golfers (Jennifer Allen, Sarah Hokom, Zoe AnDyke, and Ohn Scoggins) was later broadcast on the PDGA YouTube webpage, with added commentary for the play’s narration. This, and other top card rounds from the four-day weekend, can be found on the PDGA YouTube page online. 

Interviews with the pros

Once I had taken a good walk across the course, assessing its flora and fauna cradling this major event, it was time to communicate with disc golfers vying for the top spots of this variety-driven tournament. The top women’s pro card was complete by early afternoon, and two recognizable figures from that card were at the clubhouse. 

Asking Sarah Hokom about her first round at Circle Bar, she said, “My round today was decent. But for my first round, it was a solid score. With the wind a factor towards the end, I got a couple of putts low, trying to be cautious.”

Sitting beside Hokom, Jennifer Allen said, “Sarah is only two strokes back and will be here on Sunday. We are each other’s hype girl and the Pro Divisional Doubles at 2022 PDGA Masters Worlds’ champions.” Witnessing their friendship exceeded my expectations of professional match sports athletes, demonstrating they were precisely where they were supposed to be in this universe.

Photo: Sarah Hokom approaching the 18th basket at Circle Bar on Thursday. By TREY KODMAN

Allen placed second in the Women’s Pro 40 class while Hokom slipped down to fourth after the solid first-day start, still landing them large cash prizes and awards from the PDGA. 

The adjustments at Circle Bar to disc golf still forced every toss to be well-planned. By TREY KODMAN

How the PDGA decided on these Eugene-area disc golf courses

The original tournament director, Tim Selinske, and co-founder of Innova Disc Golf, started this event in La Mirada, CA, in 2000. Taken up by the PDGA after Selinske passed away in 2009, this major tournament has become a bid-awarded touring event not confined to specific courses or geographical region. 

I talked to long-time pro disc golfer Jason Nehmer, the course coordinator for Circle Bar Golf Course for the PDGA. He said, “I’ve been getting into more of the business side of disc golf lately, at least the industry side. So with running tournaments, designing courses, and stuff like that, I helped the PDGA get involved with Circle Bar.”

“Living in Oakridge, I helped start the disc golf scene here and developed Old Mill and Office Bridge,” Nehmer said upon questioning his direction in the sport. “The first big tournament we wanted to throw was going to be called Mountain Town Throwdown, and this was pre-pandemic. We had approached Circle Bar, and we were in the works with them, and then the pandemic hit. Now, 2023 will be our third year at Circle Bar.” 

Circle Bar…” it’s such a well-manicured and gorgeous property”

Rebecca Duffy, a PDGA Operations and Logistics Manager, wanted to do something in Oakridge for the Tim Selinkse event. “We were going to use Office Bridge in Westfir since it’s longer. But having Circle Bar in my back pocket was a slam dunk. It’s such a well-manicured and gorgeous property that we could put a true Gold Level course on it,” Nehmer said.

Breathtaking views at Dexter had worldwide fans in awe as they cheered on their favorites. By TREY KODMAN

“For Eugene, they analyzed the courses, and Dexter was a shoo-in, the darling of the area since 2001,” Nehmer continued. “Stewart Pond got picked for its length, and Camp Serene is an amazing coastal mountain course, another no-brainer. Alton Baker Park didn’t get selected due to going through some transitions currently.”

“The expectations differ when playing a major compared to a local tournament.” Nehmer explains further, “For example, some of the big guys from Eugene didn’t do well when they normally cash every time. So it was stamina and high-level players from all over the nation and globe.”

Asking Nehmer about the next disc golf event, he said, “I’m running the Middle Fork Open, a B-tier PDGA event. Information can be found at discgolfscene.com, with open registration until late July. It will be held at Office Bridge and Old Mill between July 29th and 30th.”

Dexter Park and the final round on Sunday

After his final round and winning a playoff with Scott Leek for the Men’s Amateur 40 Class fourth place spot, Aaron Sturgeon said, “The wooded courses are where my strength is, so in our second round at Circle Bar, I fell behind, but I still felt like I played a solid game. Then yesterday at Serene, I hit every line.” 

Asking Sturgeon about Circle Bar, he said, “I loved it, but not my strength. Wide open, huge throws, wind everywhere. I love the tight lines instead. It’s fun to play variety, but it was a tough course out there.” 

The Men’s Amateur 40 class finalists (Aaron Sturgeon, Ben Baker, JB Bauersfeld, David Hurley, and Scott Reek) while receiving their awards at Dexter Park. By TREY KODMAN

“I felt comfortable in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round,” Sturgeon said. “I knew my second round at Circle Bar would be tough, and I didn’t think some of those guys would shoot 8, 9, and 11 under, but I still thought I could finish strong coming back to the woods.” 

A milestone for a beloved disc golfer

The Men’s Pro cards were left to finish. This was after wrapping up coverage of the Men’s Amateur classes through their final round of 18 pins at Dexter Park. Staged at the 18th tee box, I waited for the last pro card with its crowd of spectators following to pass by.

Philo Brathwaite on the 18th fairway at Dexter Park on Sunday. By TREY KODMAN

The air was electric, yet the temperature or sunlight no longer phased anyone. They were too focused on each top-notch disc golfer’s competitive spirit. But it was Brathwaite who couldn’t miss. With every shift down the final fairway, you could tell he had a plan, and that was to win.

It came down to tying at the 18th and forcing a playoff on the assigned 11th hole. Brathwaite again fought through the challenge of missing the most crucial toss to lead him into victory and his first-ever major disc golf championship.

Philo Brathwaite with his winning toss at the playoff on the 11th at Dexter Park. By TREY KODMAN

Asking Philo Brathwaite just after winning the Men’s Pro 40 Class about what his plans for his winnings were, he said, “Straight to the savings. I’m engaged, so I got a lot of things coming up in the future.” It was a proper storybook finale.

The 2023 PDGA Tim Selinske United States Disc Golf Championships Men’s Pro 40 Class winner, Philo Braithwaite.  By TREY KODMAN