2021 Disc Golf World Championships
The Disc Golf World Championships just finished and they have been fantastic. I have watched a lot of sporting events, and this was one of the most interesting and exciting sports tournaments I've ever seen. I'm a stereotypical Canadian boy and I am saying this about not-hockey!
If you are not really into disc golf but perhaps interested enough to watch half an hour or so of the 7ish hours of videos that I've linked here, then here you go: Final Round starting on hole 16. If you have interest in any competitive sports (and you probably do if you're reading this) then I guarantee that you will not regret spending half an hour clicking on this link.
This is all going to be Men's Lead Card coverage from Jomez Pro but if this sparks interest for you, check out Gatekeeper Media for Men's chase card action, GK Pro for Men's chase-chase cards, and Central Coast Disc Golf for Women's Lead card.
- Round 1: Ricky Wysocki, Paul Ulibarri, Jeremy Koling, Emmerson Keith. Front 9 - Back 9
- Round 2: Ricky Wysocki, Nate Sexton, Calvin Heimburg, Kevin Jones. Front 9 - Back 9
- Round 3: Paul McBeth, James Conrad, Emmerson Keith, Calvin Heimburg. Front 9 - Back 9
- Round 4: Nate Sexton, Calvin Heimburg, Emmerson Keith, Ezra Aderhold. Front 9 - Back 9
- Final Round: Paul McBeth, James Conrad, Kevin Jones, Calvin Heimburg. Front 9 - Back 9
Bonus: Mic'd up Practice Round. Jeremy Koling, Nate Sexton, Paul Ulibarri. Front 9 - Back 9
I can't overstate that if you enjoy competitions, that you will enjoy the Final Round. If you watch Sports Centre, the final round figured prominently in their plays of the week (I believe it was #1). The general consensus is that this was the most exciting finale, with the best play in the history of the sport.
Each round is remarkably close, with a very tight cluster at the top; every pro above except Paul Ulibarri brought their A-game and put on a show. Some names to watch out for especially:
Ricky Wysocki - he has won so many tournaments this year, and is consistently on the podium.
Emmerson Keith - fresh off a win at the courses that are being played. It's remarkable to see Emmerson play with Jeremy Koling as there is well over a foot of height difference between the two.
Nate Sexton - you'll hear the commentators joke about "Nate Safeton" a lot, and then wonder where Nate Safeton has gone, because he goes all out for this tournament.
James Conrad - notable for many reasons, one being that he mostly only throws backhand; most disc golfers practice forehand and backhand. Also notable for huge runups and notably aces (hole-in-one) Hole 16 on chase card coverage in one round.
Calvin Heimburg - young guy who is consistently in the top 5 for all the major tournaments this year and in the hunt for a big win. Also worth watching anything where he has a microphone; he's hilarious.
Paul McBeth - "McBeast" is considered by many (myself included) to be the GOAT (greatest of all time) - more major wins than any other active disc golfer, and currently under a $10M for 10 years contract with Discraft.
Spoilers about results
For real, stop reading if you don't want the ending spoiled.
Results with winnings
I was rooting for Nate Sexton and Emmerson Keith (Keith is my son's favourite), and I wasn't disappointed with the results. Sexton took home third place and $8500 and Keith came 14th and took home $1500.
The final 3 holes - really the final 4 since the tie resulted in a sudden death playoff- were crazy. Having such a tight race between Sexton, Jones, McBeth, and Conrad right up to hole 16, and then having Jones' drive plunk down and roll into the water was just heartbreaking, especially if you know that he had some terrible luck a couple of weeks ago that cost him another tournament in a similar situation. That took it down to 3 people in it, with McBeth just out in the lead.
17 was interesting, but hole 18... man. I think the announcers were spot on. Seeing a 250 foot blind throw in, around a corner the wrong way (the throw is much easier forehand, and Conrad threw it backhand) right after McBeth just laid up was insane.
And the playoff was rough - watching PMcB throw it in the water was really unfortunate. He's usually stone cold and doesn't make many mistakes, but I guess the pressure got to him. What an absolutely crazy ending though!
I'm happy to have done so!