Western Michigan University Claims Victory in Great Lakes Collegiate Open
Date Published
The inaugural event of the 2013-2014 Collegiate Disc Golf season was the Great Lakes Collegiate Open, which took place on September 14th. The PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) and Innova Disc Golf were proud sponsors of this event, providing invaluable support to tournament directors and players alike.
Held over two days in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Great Lakes Collegiate Open was the premier qualifier for the Upper Midwest Region. Teams competed fiercely for coveted Bye Seed Qualifications and a First Round Seed Qualification to the National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships. The 24-hole Blue Gill Disc Golf Course proved to be an ideal stage for this competition.
On Saturday, the weather conditions were perfect for disc golf, allowing players to showcase their skills. The morning session featured a Team Doubles round, while singles competition took center stage in the afternoon. After the first round, Western Michigan University held a one-throw lead over cross-state rivals Eastern Michigan. Other teams vying for top spots included Michigan State and Grand Valley State, who trailed by four throws.
The importance of the singles rounds was evident as they contributed significantly to the final team scores, accounting for 85% of the total. Western Michigan demonstrated their strength, expanding their lead to eleven throws after the 24-hole round. However, Eastern Michigan's Pat Burke had already shown his prowess with an unofficial rating of 1056 on Saturday, just two strokes shy of the course record.
The second day of competition saw less-than-ideal weather conditions, with a chill in the air and steady rain throughout the day. Despite this, EMU's Pat Burke produced another exceptional round, earning an unofficial rating of 1006 with a score of 55. Nevertheless, Western Michigan's depth and resilience proved too much for their rivals. The Broncos ultimately claimed victory by twenty throws over Eastern Michigan.
This impressive win granted Western Michigan University the title of Great Lakes Collegiate Open Champion, as well as a Bye Seed to the National Championships and four 2014 PDGA memberships for its team members. Moreover, the Broncos secured bragging rights over their cross-state rivals until the next event.
In addition to Western Michigan's triumph, Eastern Michigan earned a Bye Seed to the NCDGC (National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships), while Michigan State secured a First Round Seed qualification.
As the collegiate disc golf season continues, fans can look forward to updates from the second event, the Upper Midwest Collegiate Disc Golf Championships. The SouthEast Collegiate Open is scheduled for this weekend, and coverage of this exciting event will be available on PDGA.com and NCDGC.com.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/collegiate-season-underway