Winthrop Awaits
Winthrop Awaits
USDGC, TPWDGC kicks off Thursday in Rock Hill
Just twelve players have won a coveted United States Disc Golf Championship title in the 23 years that the PDGA Major has been running at Winthrop University.
That's it.
Beginning Thursday and running through Sunday — one of the many changes this year — the dramatic 2022 season begins to wind down as we wait to see if there will be a repeat winner or a new PDGA Major champion crowned in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The Winthrop Arena has a long history of testing the best of the best — those who earned their spot throughout the season — while delivering dramatic and passionate finishes as well as heartbreak.
A year ago, it was Paul McBeth letting out a roar that echoed throughout the Arena as he joined Barry Schultz and Will Schusterick as a three-time champion. No player has ever defended the USDGC crown, including Ken Climo, who has a record five wins in Rock Hill.
Will that change this year with McBeth, the six-time PDGA World Champion who can tie Climo with his 18th PDGA Major for most of all-time, or will there be a new winner joining the elite company?
Ricky Wysocki and Simon Lizotte each collected four wins on the PDGA Elite Series this year and both are in the hunt chasing the elusive USDGC title. Both Wysocki and Lizotte, in search of his first Major championship, closed out the regular season with wins at the GMC and MVP Open, respectively, in the past three weeks.
Or will this be the year of a new champion? 2022 has shown us that anything can happen and that especially rings true at Winthrop.
Missy Gannon looks to defend her TPWDGC title this week in Rock Hill. Photo: PDGA
Anyone Can Take Throw Pink Title
Missy Gannon is back to defend her title that the Throw Pink Women's Disc Golf Championship in its second season.
It'll be a fight to the end to do so.
Kristin Tattar leads the pack as the highest-rated FPO player in the world and looks to wrap up a stellar 2022 season with her first win at Winthrop to go along with her first PDGA World title. Tattar became the sixth player in FPO history to finish the Elite Series and Majors with a 100% mark in podium finishes, joining Catrina Allen (2014, 2015), Valarie Jenkins (2013, 2009), Sarah Cunningham (2010), Des Reading (2006, 2007) and Juliana Korver (2003), according to StatMando.
Paige Pierce took down the Women's National Championship at Winthrop in 2020, which was given PDGA Major status due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is looking to close out her season, which includes two Major wins, on a high note.
Also back in the field this week is the 2022 USWDGC Champion, Hailey King, who has missed the past two Elite Series events.
Ohn Scoggins finished third in the DGPT season standings behind Tattar and Pierce and could easily be a factor this week. Scoggins defended her Masters Worlds Championship and also added a U.S. Masters title in 2022 along with strong finishes week-in and week-out on the Elite Series.
A pair of PDGA World Champions — Paige Shue and Sarah Cunningham — also joined the field by qualifying on Monday.
As you can tell, and as it is every year, anything can happen at Winthrop.
Here’s everything else you need to know to catch the action this weekend:
Tee Times & Round Ratings
USDGC | TPWDGC
Official scores, tee times, live scoring and round ratings can be found at the official event pages (USDGC | TPWDGC) on PDGA.com.
Live Video Coverage
Disc Golf Network | Subscribe
Catch the action from the Winthrop Arena in Rock Hill, South Carolina all week on the Disc Golf Network. This year, DGN subscribers can access complete coverage of the USDGC and TPWDGC at no additional cost, including all four rounds of action live as well as coverage of Wednesday's Open Ceremonies and the USDGC distance showcase on Sunday.
Post-production coverage will be available exclusively on DGN each day.
Broadcast Times
- TPWDGC: 9:30 a.m. ET
- USDGC: 2:30 p.m. ET
Thursday's TPWDGC Feature Card (Live coverage of FPO begins at 9:30 a.m. ET)
- Missy Gannon
- Eveliina Salonen
- Kristin Tattar
- Kat Mertsch
Thursday's FPO2 Live Card
- Deann Carey
- Macie Velediaz
- Ohn Scoggins
- Catrina Allen
Thursday's USDGC Feature Card (Live coverage of MPO begins at 2:30 p.m. ET)
- Paul McBeth
- Isaac Robinson
- Gregg Barsby
- Matt Orum
Thursday's MPO2 Live Card
- Kyle Klein
- Mason Ford
- Evan Smith
- Anthony Barela
DGN Press Conference | Watch
Hear from some of the players before the action gets going during a press conference from 2-4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, live on the DGPT's YouTube channel. Here is the tentative schedule for the press conference (all times ET):
- 2:00 p.m.: Paul McBeth
- 2:15 p.m.: Missy Gannon
- 2:30 p.m.: Jonathan Poole (USDGC Event Director)
- 2:40 p.m.: Kyle Klein
- 2:50 p.m.: Kona Panis
- 3:00 p.m.: Ricky Wysocki
- 3:10 p.m.: Kristin Tattar
- 3:20 p.m.: Simon Lizotte
- 3:30 p.m.: Natalie Ryan
- 3:40 p.m.: Chris Dickerson
- 3:50 p.m.: Paige Pierce
- 4:00 p.m.: Nate Sexton
- 4:10 p.m.: Phill Dilone (DGN)
- 4:20 p.m.: Andy Young & George Sappenfield (DG Hof)
Articles
PDGA.com
Check back to PDGA.com daily for a recap of all of the action from the 2022 USDGC & TPWDGC.