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2021 NT Series Bonus to Include Equal Payouts for Women and Men

By: PDGA Staff
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - 17:15

The PDGA Board of Directors has approved the 2021 National Tour Elite Series bonus structure to include equal payouts for the top ten finishers in both the Open Women and Open divisions.

The decision to move to equal payouts was based on the principle of equality and the PDGA’s determination to grow the sport among underserved demographics, which includes women.

2021 National Tour Standings »

“This is a giant leap forward,” said PDGA Women’s Committee member and Throw Pink co-founder, Sara Nicholson. “I am proud to be a member of an organization working to create a significant transformation for women’s disc golf.

“Who knows, maybe this commitment from the PDGA will be widespread and encourage better support for all female athletes, not just in disc golf but in other sports worldwide.”

“The PDGA has been working for years to attract women to the sport,” added fellow Committee member and top touring pro, Sarah Hokom. “This move shows me that they really value female participation and are elevating their commitment to the priority of attracting and retaining women in disc golf.”

Open Women Open
Place Payout Place Payout
1 $5,000 1 $5,000
2 $3,500 2 $3,500
3 $2,500 3 $2,500
4 $2,000 4 $2,000
5 $1,750 5 $1,750
6 $1,500 6 $1,500
7 $1,250 7 $1,250
8 $1,000 8 $1,000
9 $800 9 $800
10 $700 10 $700
Total $20,000 Total $20,000

2021 PDGA National Tour Elite Series bonus payout structure.

Unlike standard event payouts, which derive the bulk of their funding through player registration fees, the NT Elite Series Bonus is funded from the PDGA’s operational budget and therefore presented an opportunity to use membership dollars to invest directly in two key aspects of the PDGA mission: the growth of women’s play, as well as the promotion of the sport at the highest levels of competition.

“We want this to send a message to our membership,” said PDGA Director of Operations Mike Downes, “that these top athletes from both the MPO and FPO divisions are equally contributing to the growth of the sport, and therefore deserve to be awarded evenly.”

Players will have their first opportunity to begin accumulating 2021 NT Elite Series points March 26-28 when the Tour kicks-off with the first of its six stops at the 26th Annual Texas State Disc Golf Championship.  

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