🥏 PDGA turns on the Boot-Signal?

Happy Tuesday, you’re In The Circle! Let’s get into it.

On today’s card:

• 💸 2023 Worlds Gets The Money

• 🏆 Tournament Recaps

• ⭕️ Circles Edge

Read time: 4 minutes and 15 seconds

💸 2023 WORLDS GETS THE MONEY

The PDGA announced the presenting sponsor for the 2023 Pro Disc Golf World Championships, L.L. Bean. In addition to a big-name sponsor like L.L. Bean, they are also bringing the big bucks. The prize purse this year will be $275K, the highest ever for a Pro World Championship event.

The pro purse for the 2022 PDGA World Championships was $200,000, and $173,105 in 2021. A nearly 59 percent increase in prize money in two years is nothing to turn your nose up at. Likely a welcome sight for the 300 competitors from 12 countries who will be in attendance at the event this year.

If you don’t know much about L.L. Bean, they are an outdoor gear and apparel retailer with their roots extending back to 1912 in Maine. As an outdoor forward company, both the PDGA and L.L. Bean see this partnership as a natural fit.

Also present at the World Championships will be the iconic 20-foot-long Bean Bootmobile.

What is a Bootmobile?

It’s a 13-foot-high, 20-foot-long replica of the flagship L.L. Bean Boot. It was created in 2012 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company. Here are some other fun facts:

• Built from a GMC Sierra using aluminum and fiberglass

• The shoelaces are 12-strand braided mooring rope that is capable of 106,000 lbs of towing

• The Bootmobile shoe size is 700

• A person wearing a size 700 would be approximately 120 feet tall, or about 44 stacked disc golf baskets high

🏆 TOURNAMENT RECAPS

Missed the Kansas City Wide Open preview? Check it out here.

Kansas City Wide Open

Gannon Buhr won by two strokes and also now has four DGPT wins in 2023, one more than the DGPT points leader Calvin Heimburg. Gannon’s next tournament won’t be until the Mid America Open in late July.

Shooting the second-best FPO round of the tournament, Ali Smith took the lead in round one at three strokes under par. She was able to keep the pressure on and maintain her lead throughout the next two rounds. This was also her first finish above sixth place at an Elite Series event in her career.

✨ Craving the highlights?

• Top 5 FPO Shots

• Top 5 MPO Shots

• Holyn Handley with the elusive birdie on Hole 13

Skellefteå Open

Nearing the end of his Euro Tour stint, Paul McBeth picked up another first-place finish, his third at a Euro Tour event and his second in a row. Paul has one more Euro Tour event before the European Open and heading back to the States to finish the DGPT series.

Silva Saarinen led the FPO field throughout the weekend to claim her third Euro Tour win. Not bad considering she was still competing in Junior divisions just two years ago.

⭕️ CIRCLE’S EDGE

• Drew Gibson has undergone surgery on his elbow and is done competing for the season until he’s 100% healthy again. The recovery and physical therapy are set to last at least 5-6 weeks. He hopes to be back by mid-August, just in time for the World Championships

• The PDGA has begun its search for 2025 PDGA Major hosts. This includes five different World Championship events as the Junior Disc Golf Worlds have already been awarded. All bid packages are due by Nov. 1st, 2023 as the selection announcement will be in mid-December 2023.

• The PDGA Masters Disc Golf World Championships tee off today in Flagstaff, Arizona. Of the nearly 900 competitor field, 16 countries are represented and it includes players as far back as PDGA No. 44 to No. 237,634. Post-production coverage will be provided by Gatekeeper Media (MP40), Ace Run Pro (FP40), and Sky Hyzer Productions (MP50).

🏅 WEEKLY PRO RANKINGS - TOP 10

😂 MEMES

📋 RULE OF THE DAY

Today, we have a set of rules rather than a single rule. The PDGA released a new appendix to their Official Rules of Disc Golf, Appendix F: Adaptive Rules of Disc Golf.

This set of enhancements to the existing rules is a move by the PDGA to provide all players with an open and inclusive environment regardless of disability.

The new Rule Enhancements listed in F.03 bring updates to seven existing rules, primarily focused on using a propelled mobility device.