Thunderstorms, rain will affect play this weekend.
April 16, 2025 by Justin Westfall in Preview
The Disc Golf Pro Tour resumes this week for the Kansas City Wide Open, starting this Friday, April 18th. Now in its 43rd iteration, the KCWO is one of the longest running events in the sport’s history. While this is the first time the event has been a part of the DGPT Elite series, the KCWO held a spot on the former PDGA National Tour 11 times, most recently in 2016. Many of the European players will be notably absent this week, including Kristin Lätt and Niklas Anttila, who have opted to take a few weeks off prior to the Champions Cup at the beginning of May.
Last year, the KCWO was a qualifying event for the DGPT on the Q-series after a season in which it appeared on the Silver Series, which was broadcast on the Disc Golf Network. That event was won by Gannon Buhr and Kansas City local Ali Smith and played on the same course that will be used this weekend: Bad Rock Creek in Liberty, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.
Past Winners
| Year | Tier | MPO Winner | FPO Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A | Drew Gibson | Lisa Fajkus |
| 2023 | DGPT Silver | Gannon Buhr | Ali Smith |
| 2022 | A | Andrew Marwede | Ellen Widboom |
| 2021 | B | Gannon Buhr | Nova Politte |
| 2020 | C | Peter Bures | Nova Politte |
| 2019 | A | Paul McBeth | Missy Gannon |
| 2018 | A | Jacob Henson | Jennifer Allen |
| 2017 | A | Andrew Presnell | Jennifer Allen |
| 2016 | NT | Ricky Wysocki | Catrina Allen |
| 2015 | A | Paul McBeth | Jennifer Allen |
| 2014 | NT | Paul McBeth | Paige Pierce |
| 2013 | NT | Paul McBeth | Catrina Allen |
| 2012 | NT | Dave Feldberg | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2011 | NT | Nate Doss | Paige Pierce |
| 2010 | B | Eric McCabe | Jennifer Allen |
Four Things We’ll Be Watching
1. While Gannon Buhr is yet to earn a win in 2025, he has reclaimed his spot as DGPT points leader. Buhr is coming off back-to-back podium finishes and three consecutive top five finishes. He also leads the tour in birdies and C1 in Regulation. The issue for his game so far this season has been C2 putting, where he’s sitting at just 23.8% on the season, more than 10 percentage points below his mark in 2024. At the MCO, Buhr returned to form, putting 43% from outside the circle. It feels like his first win of the season is just around the corner, and as a two-time winner of this event, no one will be surprised if Gannon comes out on top this week.
2. Behind Kristin Lätt, Holyn Handley has easily been the best player in the FPO field to start the season. Handley has podium finishes in all four events and is averaging a 999 rating. With Lätt absent from this tournament, Holyn will be the clear favorite and has a great opportunity to match Kristin with two wins on the year. The more than 600 feet added to the FPO layout since Holyn last played here in 2023 should only further contribute to her advantage over the field.
3. Fresh off a disappointing loss at the Music City Open, Paul McBeth now comes to an unfamiliar course at a familiar event. McBeth has won the KCWO four times in his career, most recently in 2019 (but has never played at Bad Rock Creek). McBeth currently leads the tour in fairway hits and C2 in regulation, and he has the second best birdie percentage behind Gannon Buhr. His weak link has been C1X putting, where he ranks 30th on tour at 83.8%. Paul’s first win in nearly two years feels like it’s just around the corner if he can put together a good putting weekend.
4. After severe weather forced a cancellation prior to the Music City Open, the first round of the new Match Play Championship will be held on Thursday prior to the start of the event. Due to some players not traveling to Kansas City, only a portion of the field will play their first match this week. The DGPT had previously held single weekend Match Play Championships in 2021 and 2022. This year, 16 MPO and 16 FPO players will compete in group play at four different tour stops throughout the season to earn a spot in the Match Play Championship at Hornets Nest this November. Some of the more notable matchups this weekend include Gannon Buhr v. Anthony Barela, Ricky Wysocki v. Paul McBeth, and Holyn Handley v. Ella Hansen.
The Course
Bad Rock Creek was established in 2014 and features a variety of wooded and open holes. With lots of elevation changes, technical wooded shots, and several holes that transition in or out of the woods, the course tests a wide variety of skills. For those familiar with the 2023 Silver series event, the overall flow of the course remains the same. However, the layout has been lengthened quite a bit and, along with some tee and basket tweaks, many of the OB lines have been modified.
2025 MPO: 10,632 Feet Par 67
2023 MPO: 10,092 Feet Par 68
2025 FPO: 8,596 Feet Par 67
2023 FPO: 7,927 Feet Par 66
Extended Forecast
Warm temperatures will turn cool as the week progresses. High winds and rain may persist throughout the weekend.
Thursday (Match play): Scattered thunderstorms and high winds in the mornings, highs in the mid 80s. Winds 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Friday: Cloudy early with off and on rain showers in the afternoon, highs near 70. Winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Saturday: Cloudy early with showers in the afternoon, highs in the high 50s. Winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Sunday: Rain with the potential for heavy rainfall, highs in the upper 50s. Winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
