PDGA Worlds Underway in Charlotte, Allen and Ulibarri Reign Supreme
Date Published
The 2012 PDGA Worlds kicked off in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a series of events preceding the main tournament. The first major competition took place on Saturday, July 14, at Bradford Park, where the Professional Mixed Doubles event was held. Defending champions Catrina Allen and Paul Ulibarri were once again crowned champions this year, marking their third consecutive victory in this category.
Both Allen and Ulibarri hail from Phoenix, Arizona, and have been on a whirlwind tour of disc golf tournaments since the Memorial Championship in March. Allen has had an impressive run, winning several notable events, including the Beaver State Fling in Estacada, Oregon, the Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open in Emporia, Kansas, and the SOKY Championships.
During an interview at Renaissance Park on Sunday afternoon, I asked Allen and Ulibarri about their confidence heading into the Worlds Tournament. While both players acknowledged that their recent wins had given them a boost, they emphasized that they were not doing anything differently to prepare for this event. They took it as seriously as any other tournament, which was evident in their performance.
The Professional Mixed Doubles competition saw Allen and Ulibarri emerge victorious with a final score of 17-under par, narrowly edging out Paige Pierce and Devon Owens from Owasso, Oklahoma, who finished second with a score of 16-under. The team of Jessie Westphal and Ricky Wysocki secured third place.
At Hornets Nest Park, the Amateur Mixed Doubles event took center stage, with local Debbie Scott and Mark Huether from Cornelius, North Carolina claiming victory with an impressive score of 8-under par. Meanwhile, Pawel Hanczaruk made headlines by sinking a hole-in-one on the fourth hole at the Hornets Nest course.
The Junior Divisional Doubles competition was held at the Elon Park Eager Beaver course, where Steven Jacobs and Dillon Vallance secured first place in the Boys under 19 division with an exceptional score of 23-under. In the same event, Peter McBride and Brock Dowell emerged victorious in the Boys under 16 division with a final score of 11-under par.
Throughout the weekend, players faced challenging conditions, including extreme heat and humidity. Despite these obstacles, many professionals demonstrated impressive skill and determination, making the competition all the more exciting.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/2012worlds/news/doubles-the-fun