This weekend, the 2013 PDGA National Tour continues toward the Drive for the Championship.  Just two weeks after Ricky Wysocki destroyed the course record (twice) and his competition at the Discraft Great Lakes Open in Milford, Michigan, the tour now heads to the familiar location of Kansas City, MO for the sixth stop on the National Tour.  Grip Equipment presents the 31st Kansas City Wide Open will boast four incredible courses to be used in this event, including Rosedale Park, Water Works Park, Blue Valley Park, and the famous Swope Park Gold Layout.

The Kansas City Flying Disc Club was established in 1988 and was put together to help promote the sport of Disc Golf as well as other flying disc sports. The KCFDC, now nearly 400 members strong, works in cooperation with the areas Parks and Recreation Departments in maintaining and improving the many public courses in the metro region. Most club activities involve taking care of courses, running leagues and smaller local and regional events, and working with communities to get new courses installed.  The Club continues to work with the various Parks Departments to enhance all the courses, including planting trees and shrubs at Swope and Rosedale, building stairs and fighting erosion at Water Works, and funding other improvements. Besides taking care of courses and running weeklies, the KCFDC runs or promotes special events, such at the Kansas City Wide Open.

Since 1983, when the first-ever Kansas City Wide Open became a charter member of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Tour, Kansas City has evolved into one of the most-popular disc golf destinations in the country. Besides the 30 previous Wide Opens, there have been Amateur World Championships in KC in 1999 and 2003 and the 2009 PDGA Professional and Amateur Disc Golf World Championships that drew 921 players from 44 states and 12 countries, making it, at the time, the largest disc golf tournament in the 38-year history of the PDGA.  The Kansas City Wide Open and tournament director Jack Lowe have a history of hosting fantastic events with plenty of extras for all those in competition, this year including a player banquet and party scheduled for Saturday night.

The 2013 National Tour Elite Series sponsored by Vibram Disc Golf features the top players in the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions as they compete in the fifth annual Drive for the Championship. The point series will consist of the first seven National Tour Elite Series events plus the series finale, the Vibram Open. Players will accumulate points throughout the season as they compete for trophies, cash bonuses, and the title of 2013 PDGA National Tour Series Champion.  Coming into this weekend’s event, Wysocki has a commanding lead after winning three of the first five events, nearly 40 points ahead of Nikko Locastro.  In the Women’s field, Sarah Hokom maintains a narrow lead over Paige Pierce, as both ladies have won two titles on the 2013 National Tour.  Points become very valuable as the tension mounts and we head toward the close of the season and the Vibram Open at Maple Hill.

Dave Feldberg and Valarie Jenkins, our defending champions of the KCWO, are scheduled to be in attendance this year to try to defend their titles, but both are faced with some serious competition.  Many of the sport’s biggest names will be there too, all fighting for the title of Champion of the Kansas City Wide Open presented by Grip.  Good luck to all the competitors, and be sure to check back in on pdga.com throughout the weekend for updates, and follow on Disc Golf Planet TV to see all the live action!