Beaver State Fling and Portland Open have been combined into one mega-event.
May 28, 2025 by Justin Westfall in Preview
Following last week’s Konopiště Open, the Disc Golf Pro Tour resumes stateside this week with the Northwest Disc Golf Championship. As the second DGPT+ event of the season, this tournament combines the Portland Open and the Beaver State Fling into a single event. The first two rounds will be played at Milo McIver, which has long hosted the Beaver State Fling, an iconic Elite Series event dating back to the earliest days of the PDGA National Tour. Saturday and Sunday’s rounds will be played at Glendoveer East, which has been used for the Portland Open since 2022. This event will also serve as an early preview of the 2027 PDGA Pro World Championships, which will be hosted on these same courses.
At the 2024 Portland Open, Gannon Buhr ran away with the tournament and jumpstarted a dominant summer. Buhr held a 10 stroke lead on Cole Redalen, Ricky Wysocki and Calvin Heimburg going into the final day, where he coasted to an easy eight stroke victory. In the FPO division, it was the return of Paige Pierce who collected her only win of the 2024 season. Pierce held a two stroke lead on Kat Mertsch and Ohn Scoggins going into Sunday and comfortably wrapped up the tournament despite a bogey-free 11-under par effort from Holyn Handley on the chase card.
The following week at the Beaver State Fling, it was once again Gannon Buhr who stole the show. This time, however, it wasn’t quite as easy. Buhr overcame a one stroke deficit to Luke Humphries and Calvin Heimburg on the final day, staving off the likes of Ezra Robinson and Ricky Wysocki en route to claiming back-to-back wins. The FPO event was one of the most exciting of the season with Holyn Handley locked in a battle with Ohn Scoggins coming down the stretch. Handley birdied the final four in a row, and a late bogey from Scoggins on hole 17 opened the door. With Scoggins parked for birdie on hole 18, Handley hit a massive 45 foot putt to force a playoff which she would win in one hole to claim her first career DGPT win.
Past Winners
Beaver State Fling
| Year | PDGA Tier | MPO | FPO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DGPT | Gannon Buhr | Holyn Handley |
| 2023 | DGPT Silver | Eagle McMahon | Jennifer Allen |
| 2022 | DGPT Silver | Garrett Gurthie | Valerie Mandujano |
| 2019 | NT | Eagle McMahon | Paige Pierce |
| 2018 | NT | Eagle McMahon | Catrina Allen |
| 2017 | NT | Ricky Wysocki | Paige Pierce |
| 2016 | NT | Ricky Wysocki | Catrina Allen |
| 2015 | NT | Paul McBeth | Jessica Weese |
| 2014 | B | Nate Sexton | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2013 | NT | Will Schusterick | Paige Pierce |
| 2012 | NT | Cale Leiviska | Catrina Allen |
| 2011 | B | Paul McBeth | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2010 | NT | Christian Dietrich | Liz Carr |
| 2009 | NT | Ken Climo | Des Reading |
| 2008 | A | Steve Rico | Kathy Manley |
| 2007 | NT | Nate Doss | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2006 | NT | Barry Schultz | Des Reading |
| 2005 | NT | Barry Schultz | Des Reading |
| 2004 | NT | Barry Schultz | Ruth Steele |
| 2003 | B | Aaron Kirschling | N/A |
| 2002 | C | Erik Smith | N/A |
Portland Open
| Year | Tier | MPO | FPO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DGPT+ | Gannon Buhr | Paige Pierce |
| 2023 | DGPT | Adam Hammes | Kristin Tattar |
| 2022 | DGPT | Simon Lizotte | Valerie Mandujano |
| 2021 | DGPT | Eagle McMahon | Paige Pierce |
| 2019 | DGPT | Drew Gibson | Paige Pierce |
Four Things We’ll Be Watching
1. The MPO favorite this weekend will be Gannon Buhr, who won both the Portland Open and Beaver State Fling last season. It should be noted, however, that Buhr’s two highest rated rounds in those events came at Glendoveer West, which will not be played this weekend. His track record in the state of Oregon is undeniable, though: he’s never missed the top 10 and has collected top four finishes in four of his six career events in the state. A top 5 finish would come as a surprise to no one, as Buhr has not missed that mark since the first event of the 2025 season. With just one win on the season, however, Gannon might be feeling additional pressure to perform this weekend.
2. Similar to Buhr, the FPO favorite this weekend will be Holyn Handley, who took second in the 2024 Portland Open and won the 2024 BSF. She will also be the highest rated player in the field with Kristin Lätt staying over in Europe to play in next week’s Ale Open. Three of Handley’s five career DGPT wins have come without Lätt in the field. Holyn is coming off back-to-back fifth place finishes, her worst of the season. She’s primed for a bounceback, given her success on these courses last season and the fact that two of her career DGPT wins came at four-round DGPT+ events.
3. One player desperate for a win is Ricky Wysocki, who’s closing in on a year since his last victory. Wysocki finished 3rd at Portland last year, 2nd at the BSF, and is coming off three consecutive top 5 finishes. With two career BSF titles and two podium finishes in his career at Glendoveer, Wysocki will have a great opportunity to snag a trophy this weekend. While he already has a win on the season, Ezra Robinson is still looking to get back into form. Robinson found his way back into the top 10 at the Cascade Challenge but has failed to average above his player rating since March. Ezra finished as the runner-up at Milo last season and needs to get off to a strong start. In two career starts at the Portland Open, he’s yet to crack the top 15.
4. Paige Pierce left fans wondering if she’s back after taking a lead into the final round of the Cascade Challenge. While Pierce was unable to pull off the win, she still performed consistently and secured her second straight podium finish. Pierce is a three time winner of both the Portland Open and BSF. In her career she has never finished worse than 7th in Oregon, and she has not missed the top 5 at a west coast event since 2013.
The Courses
Milo McIver is located 26 miles southeast of Portland and is a favorite among pros, some of whom have been coming to this course for well over a decade. The course is known for its beauty and challenges players to execute a variety of shots. The Riverbend Gold layout was used for the 2024 BSF and is a mix of the traditional east and west courses. The main difference this year is that hole 18 has been removed from the layout, and hole 15 has been divided into two separate holes.
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. This track challenges a player’s power as well as their technical shot shaping. For this event, a good amount of OB territory has been added in. Aside from a few small tweaks, it is the same layout that was used in last year’s Portland Open.
Milo McIver: Riverbend Gold
2025 MPO: 9,941 Feet Par 63
2024 MPO: 10,733 Feet Par 65
2025 FPO: 8,951 Feet Par 67
2024 FPO: 9,374 Feet Par 69
Glendoveer East
2025 MPO: 11,210 Feet Par 65
2024 MPO: 11,130 Feet Par 65
2025 FPO: 9,190 Feet Par 67
2024 FPO: 9,260 Feet Par 67
Extended Forecast
A mix of comfortable and very warm temperatures throughout the weekend with varying winds.
Thursday: Rain early with sun in the afternoon, highs near 70. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Friday: Sunny with highs in the mid 80s. Winds 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy with highs in the mid 70s. Winds 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday: Partly cloudy with highs in the upper 60s. Winds 10 to 15 mph.
