With the pressure palpable in the air as the first PDGA Pro Major of the year kicked off, Isaac Robinson was comfortable.
He’s at home — competing in his home state of Georgia and in the woods of W.R. Jackson — and it showed Thursday in the opening round of the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup presented by Bushnell.
“My home state,” Robinson said Thursday after his 11-under opener. “I’ve played here my whole life. It just feels natural in the woods. It’s what I’m comfortable doing.”
Beginning Thursday, the best players in the world return to the International Disc Golf Center for the second running of the PDGA Champions Cup presented by Bushnell, the first PDGA Pro Major of 2023.
For four days, 156 players will take on the on the famed, revered and updated W.R. Jackson course in Wildwood Park in Appling, Georgia. On Sunday, two PDGA Major champions will be crowned.
It's obvious what PDGA Majors mean to the players.
"To make your career go the next step, you need to win a Major," said the defending champion of the Champions Cup and 17-time PDGA Major* winner Paige Pierce.
Added another players with 17 Major wins, Paul McBeth: "Anytime there's a Major, there's an M next to the tournament, you know I'm gunning for it."
Hole 18 at W.R. Jackson will now finish in the field behind the IDGC, giving fans a perfect view of the action. Photo: Nathaniel Samsel / PDGA
In just a few weeks, the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup presented by Bushnell will look a little different for players and spectators with changes coming to select holes on The W. R. Jackson Memorial Course.
A Monday qualifier has been added to the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup, PDGA and tournament staff announced Monday.
Those players that were on the waitlist for the 2023 Champions Cup when registration closed will have the opportunity to compete for a spot in the first PDGA Pro Major of the year on Monday, April 17. Eight spots will be up for grabs in MPO and four in FPO.
Monday qualifying tee times will between 8 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
The event will not be open to the public and regular practice for the event will commence after the final group tees off for the qualifier.
The PDGA Majors Committee has announced invitation criteria for the 2024 PDGA Champions Cup ahead of the first Elite Series event of 2023.
The invite criteria, which includes three additional international events, an expanded Euro Tour schedule, as well as the reintroduction of the MP40 and FP40 Masters World Champions, was designed to honor the champions from disc golf’s premier professional and amateur events.
• Player Packs will be given ONLY to those registered players who are personally present at Champions Cup check-in.
• Player packs may NOT be picked up by someone for someone else.
• At no time will a withdrawal or no-show receive a player’s pack, all refunds are cash only.
Withdrawal and Refund Schedule
• For official withdrawals from either the registered list or the waitlist, players MUST use the “Request a Refund” link in their registration confirmation email or the “withdraw/refund” link found on their player profile on Disc Golf Scene. Registrants who have lost their confirmation email may request a new one from the PDGA Event Support Team.
The criteria, which remains largely the same as the inaugural edition, was designed to honor the champions from disc golf’s premier professional and amateur events.
PDGA Executive Director Joe Chargualaf presents the Champions Cup to Paige Pierce during the inaugural event. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA Media
Champions Cup Heads Back to Georgia
Due to popular demand, the PDGA Champions Cup will be returning to W.R. Jackson and the International Disc Golf Center in Appling, GA, for its second edition, April 20-23, 2023.
Originally slated to move to the Toboggan course in Milford, MI, in July 2023, the Champions Cup will instead return to its Spring slot, two weeks after the Masters golf tournament wraps-up in nearby Augusta. DGLO will once again be run in the Summer of 2023 on the DGPT.
The PDGA Majors Committee has announced invitation criteria for the 2023 PDGA Champions Cup ahead of the first Elite Series event of 2022.
The criteria, which remains largely the same as the inaugural edition, was designed to honor the champions from disc golf’s premier professional and amateur events.
Invitations to the 2023 edition will be awarded to the MPO and FPO winners from all 15 DGPT Elite Series events, seven Euro Tour Events, four PDGA Majors and a handful of National Championships including Canadian Nationals, the Australian Disc Golf Championship, the Japan National Championship and the New Zealand National Championship.
