Amateur Disc Golf World Champions Crowned at Record-Breaking PDGA Am Worlds

The 2024 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships presented by Discraft came to a close on Championship Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For Virginia Polkinghorne and Ryan Monn, it was more of a celebratory stroll around the course than a grueling test of endurance. Both players had put in enough work earlier in the week to secure their places at the top of the leaderboard.

Polkinghorne, a 16-year-old from Missouri, cemented her seventh overall PDGA Major title and first Amateur World Champion crown with an impressive wire-to-wire victory. Her lead entering the final round was a comfortable 10 strokes, which she extended to a six-stroke win. This milestone marks another achievement in Polkinghorne's already illustrious disc golf career, which includes six Junior World titles and a USWDGC win in 2023.

Meanwhile, Brook Johnson from West Virginia produced the day's hottest round, carding a clean 7-under despite windy conditions at Brewer Park. This impressive performance propelled her into a tie for second place alongside Therese Cuevas. Addison Woodard also made significant strides on Saturday, moving up to a trophy spot in a tie for fourth with Ginelle Kohl.

In the men's division, Monn had already opened up a 9-stroke lead with his outstanding 1077-rated birthday round on Friday. With this commanding advantage, he was able to relax and enjoy the final round, finishing six strokes ahead of the competition. This victory marked the culmination of an impressive week for Monn, who added another title to his collection, which already included wins at USADGC, Junior Worlds, and Am Worlds.

The day's scoring leader in the men's division was Riven Tanner, who recorded a 10-under score to jump two spots into solo second place. Ethan Owens secured third spot on the podium, while Ryan Edgerton, James Collier, John Ryan III, and Andrew Hedgspeth all claimed trophies at the event.

The record-breaking week for the FA1 division came to an end with a total of 114 players competing – the largest single-division field in women's disc golf history. The tournament organizers and participants alike can look back on this championship with pride, as it marked yet another milestone in the growth and popularity of amateur disc golf.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/champions-crowned-2