Canada Takes Home Gold in Thrilling Inaugural Pan American Team Disc Golf Championship

The first-ever WFDF Pan American Team Disc Golf Championship was held at Langley Pond Disc Golf Park in Warrenville, South Carolina, drawing top teams from the United States, Canada, and Colombia. The four-day event featured a mix of doubles and singles matchplay, with MPO, FPO, and FP40 players representing their respective countries.

Day one saw Team USA take an early lead, with Ryan Mulder and Kenneth C. Tyburski securing a win over Thomas Gilbert and his Canadian partner in the second-to-last hole of match play. However, Team Canada narrowed the deficit to just two points behind Team USA after singles action on Friday.

The competition remained intense throughout Saturday, with rain falling at Langley Pond. Ryan Mulder sparked a big day for Team USA, winning 5-4 over Thomas Gilbert in the MPO1 showdown. Meanwhile, Canadian players Sophia Donnecke and Emily Beach secured individual wins, tying the team standings between the two countries.

Sunday's round robin action saw Colombia and Canada pick up pairs of wins, with Milton Torres and Laura Nino securing victories for their respective teams. However, Team USA maintained a two-point lead in the overall standings, setting up a showdown between the top two contenders – Team USA versus Team Canada – in the Gold/Silver match.

The medal match featured three high-stakes matches: JohnE McCray and Emily Beach against Thomas Gilbert and Sofia Donnecke, Ray Hill and Ken Tyburski facing off against Justin Da Silva and Stewart McIsack, and Nina Guerrero and Ryan Mulder competing against Dan Laitsch and Karen Martel. Team USA jumped to an early lead with a 3-1 win in the first match, but the final two matches came down to the wire.

In the end, it was Canada that emerged victorious, securing the Gold award in the inaugural Pan American Team Disc Golf Championship. The thrilling competition culminated on the 16th hole, where Team Canada sealed their title and celebrated a well-deserved victory.

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