The DGPT+ event awards extra points and has a third round cut
May 31, 2024 by Justin Westfall in Preview with 0 comments
After an off week, the Disc Golf Pro Tour resumes this weekend for the Portland Open, the second Elite+ event of the 2024 season. The Portland Open was founded in 2019 by Disc Golf Pro Tour CEO Jeff Spring, and like the Green Mountain Championship, it is owned and operated by the Pro Tour. This event will kick off 11 consecutive weeks of Elite or Major tournaments in five countries leading up to the World Championships in late August. As an Elite+ event, the Portland Open will consist of four rounds with a cut following round 3, and award 1.5x the points of a standard Elite event.
Last year, Adam Hammes held a one-stroke lead over Aaron Gossage and Corey Ellis going into the final round. All three players remained in contention going into the final hole, and after throwing OB near the green, Hammes was able to make a 70-foot putt for birdie. Gossage came up short on a C1 putt for the win, and Hammes was able to defeat him in a one-hole playoff to earn his third career Elite win. On the FPO side, Kristin Tattar led by six strokes over Sai Ananda, and comfortably walked in a four-stroke victory for her third Elite win of the season.
Past Winners
| Year | Tier | MPO | FPO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | DGPT | Adam Hammes | Kristin Tattar |
| 2022 | DGPT | Simon Lizotte | Valerie Mandujano |
| 2021 | DGPT | Eagle McMahon | Paige Pierce |
| 2020 | Canceled | ||
| 2019 | DGPT | Drew Gibson | Paige Pierce |
Four Things We’ll Be Watching
1. On May 19th, Kristin Tattar posted on social media that she suffered a fall in her home during a renovation and broke a rib. As a result, Tattar has withdrawn from the Portland Open and Beaver State Fling but hopes to return for the Krokhol Open in July, one week prior to the European Open. In her absence, the door is once again wide open for Ella Hansen and Holyn Handley on a pair of courses that are very attackable with their power. Both players, of course, were tied for the lead going into the final round of the OTB Open, with Hansen coming out on top to earn her first career Elite win. Handley put forth a subpar performance in the final round of a tournament she had an opportunity to win, an issue that has persisted throughout this season. If she can finally conquer the mental side of the game, there’s no reason she shouldn’t have another opportunity to finally vanquish those demons this week.
2. In a bit of a rarity, the “Big 3” of Calvin Heimburg, Gannon Buhr and Anthony Barela have never had a podium finish at this event. Barela has never even cracked the top 10 in Portland. Coming off back-to-back wins, Heimburg is shooting to make it three in a row, and, if he does, the reigning Player of the Year would be right back on top as the favorite to claim that title once again. If you can talk yourself out of riding the hot hand this week, it’s likely because there are several other names who could pop off. Ricky Wysocki has never missed the top 10 in Portland, and he’s still looking for his first win of the season. Wysocki’s skill set makes him a contender on any course, and he’s played very solid as of late, it’s just a matter of putting it all together for four rounds. Back-to-back podium finishes for Gavin Rathbun makes him a player to watch this week. The same goes for Ezra Aderhold, who continues to put himself in content but hasn’t yet put together a great final round. Don’t count out 2019 runner-up and 2021 champion Eagle McMahon either, who’s still working back from his shoulder surgery but looked significantly better a couple of weeks ago at the OTB Open.
3. After a very disappointing start to the year, Paige Pierce looked far more like her old self at the OTB Open, coming in with her first top 5 finish since last year’s Portland Open. We noted before the event that Pierce’s putting to this point in the year has been good, but the strokes lost from tee to green had been significant. Her fairways hits, OB rate and birdie opportunities improved substantially. Pierce noted on social media that she needs to work on getting up and down from 250 feet and in to better take advantage of good tee shots. Pierce won the first two iterations of this event and has never finished outside of the top 5. If her tee to green game can take another step forward, she may well have an opportunity to claim another PDX title.
4. The final hole of the Portland Open has provided plenty of drama for the MPO division since the event’s inception. In 2019, Eagle McMahon missed a C1 putt on hole 18, allowing Drew Gibson to take him to a playoff and earn his first Pro Tour win. In 2021, Ricky Wysocki also missed a C1 putt which would have pushed McMahon to yet another playoff; instead, McMahon took down the win in regulation. In 2022, Garrett Gurthie threw an approach shot out of bounds, which allowed Simon Lizotte to earn his second consecutive win in dramatic fashion. Last year, Corey Ellis threw an approach shot OB and missed out on a playoff with Adam Hammes and Aaron Gossage. Hammes also went OB but made a 70 foot putt for birdie to force the playoff. Gossage on the other hand missed a C1 putt for the win. Expect this one to come down to the wire yet again.
Course Changes
Glendoveer may win the award for most beloved golf course on tour. The east course, which will be used for rounds 3 and 4, has been especially popular with players and fans over the past couple of years. The scenery is stunning, with beautiful trees and the opportunity to catch a glimpse of grazing black-tailed deer or bald eagles soaring overhead. The east course challenges a player’s power as well as their technical shot-shaping. The west course is a bit more open and features hilly terrain.
This year, there have been several small changes made to the west course, the majority of which involved shortening certain holes that played too difficult. The east course has just a few changes, the biggest of which is to hole 18. The OB line on the right side has been moved in significantly, making the initial landing zone from the tee much smaller than it was previously.
Glendoveer West
2024 MPO: 10,527 Foot Par 63
2023 MPO: 10,692 Foot Par 63
2024 FPO: 9,757 Foot Par 68
2023 FPO: 9,991 Foot Par 68
Glendoveer East
2024 MPO: 11,130 Foot Par 65
2023 MPO: 11,245 Foot Par 66
2024 FPO: 9,260 Foot Par 67
2023 FPO: 9,195 Foot Par 67
Extended Forecast
Comfortable temperatures and low winds are expected throughout the weekend. There is a chance of rain showers for the final round on Sunday.
Thursday: Mostly sunny with highs in the lower 70s. Winds 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Partly cloudy with highs in the mid 70s. Winds 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Overcast with highs near 70. Winds 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Cloudy with occasional rain showers, highs in the mid 60s. Winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
