Over 4,000 disc sport spectators packed viewing galleries at England Idlewild Park in Burlington Aug. 11-13 to witness the LWS Open, the Northern Kentucky disc golf event.
Valerie Mandujano, a 24-year-old from Texas, secured a six-stroke victory over Ohn Scoggins to win the women’s tournament. On the men’s side, 18-year-old Iowa native Gannon Buhr defeated No. 1 ranked Calvin Heimburg by two strokes after recording a score of 12-under in the final round.
“The drive to win gets more and more intense every tournament,” Buhr in a press release. “Coming into today, I was actually really nauseous on hole one because of the anxiety. But the feeling afterwards makes it all worth it.”
Buhr secured $10,000 with the victory, boosting his seasonal earnings to $68,000. Mandujano brought home $7,000. The tournament delivered a record $90,000 payout, according to a press release.
This year marked the seventh year of the LWS Open at Idlewild. Each year, the event has captured the attention of an increasing number of people.
“VIP tickets sold out as soon as they went on sale in February,” tournament director Jason Kerl said. “This tournament is a magnet for fans, many of whom travel long distances to see pro disc golf in person. Roughly 40% of our spectators come from outside of Greater Cincinnati.”
The LWS Open at Idlewild is one of 17 stops on the Disc Golf Pro Tour, which was founded in 2016 and is the largest tour in professional disc golf.