EUREKA/PEKIN/MORTON, Ill. – The top disc golfers from all over are back in central Illinois this week for one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.
This week is the 16th edition of the Ledgestone Open. Professionals and amateurs will be competing in a wide range of divisions to bring home a championship.
The professional tournament starts on Thursday, with the men at Lake Eureka and the women at Northwood Black in Morton. The men will be at Northwood Friday and Saturday, with the women at Sunset Hills in Pekin. Championship Sunday will see both divisions return to their first day course.
“With 15 courses and almost 2,400 players, and we’re excited to showcase central Illinois to the entire world,” said Event Director and tournament founder Nate Heinold.
The tournament had humble beginnings in its first year, with 100 players taking part in 2011. Heinold says the tournament started as a way to promote his insurance business. Since then, it’s grown into a full-time operation with 22 full-time employees.
The Ledgestone Open is one of the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s founding events, and is the largest event currently on tour. It’s been elevated to Elite+ status in recent years, putting it one below a Professional Disc Golf Association major.
Heinold says that prestige means a lot to him.
“They’re a lot of events out there. They added an event in New Orleans this year, and Las Vegas left the tour a few years ago,” Heinold said. “So to see Peoria and central Illinois and Morton and Eureka all come together to support this, it takes a village to be able to allow me to pull it off to make it prestigious.”
Heinold also calls central Illinois a disc golf “mecca,” with the number of courses and players in the area. He says it matches what larger metro cities, such as Minneapolis and Charlotte can offer.
Notable players in this year’s field include defending champion Gannon Buhr in the men’s division, the return of Paul McBeth after an extended break from the tour, as well as Missy Gannon and Holyn Handley in the women’s division. Heinold says more pros will be able to attend this year, as Peoria is not the first stop after the European swing of the DGPT.
As always, the event is more than just the tournament. This year’s side events include a Play With the Pros event on Wednesday that raises money for various charities, a flymart in the downtown Morton area Friday and Saturday, and courses set up throughout the week in the downtowns of Peoria and Morton.
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