History of The Open at Austin Disc Golf Tournament
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The Open at Austin is a travelling Tournament series that has been officially PDGA active for 9 years. In 2023, Austin Texas will be hosting the open at the Harvey Penick Golf Campus, near Austin.
The Open has had the same tour director since it’s inception Neal Dambra who has also had his hands in other notable tournaments such as Texas State Championship, heads The Open.
Starting like most tournaments, in a smaller bracket, The Open started in 2015 under the name: “The Open at Woodville” the location was in Woodville Texas. it operated as a B/C tier event. with a total of 74 players attending the inaugural event. The event’s title sponsor was “Crush cloths”.
The Tournament would remain for it’s second year in Woodville but rise to an A tier event bringing in a smaller field and a larger event purse. The Open at Woodville would also run with Discraft as the title sponsor in 2016.
Moving but growing, in 2017, The Open moved to Temple Texas and grew to the largest amount of player attendance yet with 95 players registered. The pro purse also increased to over $12,000. The course being played was at Lions park.
Continuing the growth, in 2018, The Open moved locations once again, this time to Marble Falls Texas at Flat Creek Estate Disc Golf Course. With over 100 players registered for the first time at 118 and a pro purse now over $16,000 the event showed continued growth.
2019 was the first year at Belton. The location switch also saw a drop in player registry from the high of 118 players in 2018 to 74 players in 2019. But bigger things were in store soon for the tournament. The Tournament would remain in Belton in 2020. The registered players that year would increase but still not surpass 2018’s player registry.
Things explode in growth as The Open is signed on as a silver series event in 2021 with a 4x increase in player registration to 433 players and a pro purse bloat to $36,000.
After the successful event of 2021 The Open at Belton returned as a silver series in 2022. This would however mark the end for the stay in Belton Texas.
2023 The Open ascended to Elite tier status in the Pro Tour circuit. The location also moved to Austin Texas where players will be playing on Harvey Penick Golf Campus, near downtown Austin.
Who Won Last Year at the Open at Belton
Richard Wysocki
Richard Wysocki is the only player to have multiple wins at the Open. .
Catrina Allen
Catrina has won all but 2 of the tournaments hosted by The Open.
Historical MPO Winners at The Disc Golf Open
| Winner | Year | Prize | Total Event Purse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Wysocki | 2015 | $510 | $3,200 |
| Bradley Williams | 2016 | $905 | $7,115 |
| Simon Lizotte | 2017 | $1,260 | $12,452 |
| James Conrad | 2018 | $1,405 | $16,244 |
| Paul Ulibarri | 2019 | $1,500 | $13,441 |
| Ezra Aderhold | 2020 | $1,549 | $17,202 |
| Richard Wysocki | 2021 | $2,000 | $36,280 |
| Chris Dickerson | 2022 | $2,470 | $34,375 |
Most Recent MPO Winner at The Open At Belton
Chris Dickerson
Chris Dickerson won the last stop at the Open at Belton before the tour would relocate to Austin in 2023.
Historical FPO Winners at The Disc Golf Open
| Winner | Year | Prize | Total Event Purse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Vincent | 2015 | $220 | $3,200 |
| No Data | 2016 | No Data | No Data |
| Catrina Allen | 2017 | $510 | $12,452 |
| Catrina Allen | 2018 | $615 | $16,244 |
| Catrina Allen | 2019 | $660 | $13,441 |
| Valerie Mandujano | 2020 | $585 | $17,202 |
| Catrina Allen | 2021 | $1,100 | $36,280 |
| Catrina Allen | 2022 | $1,660 | $34,375 |
The Most Recent FPO Winner for Open at Belton
Catrina Allen
Catrina Allen has won all but 2 events at the Open. Historical dominance at this event and a hot start to 2023, Catrina is a good bet for The Open at Austin.
The Open at Austin Course Preview
With the course now having moved to Austin Texas, here is a course preview provided by Brodie Smith and Ezra Aderhold, with a guest appearance from Aaron Gossage. This is the Harvey Penick Golf Campus course for 2023.
Source: https://theopendgc.com/
Source: https://www.pdga.com/
