Cadence Burge and Paul Krans pose as newly-crowned Amateur World Champions. Photo: PDGA Media

FA1 Comes Down to the Wire

Sports are always at their most riveting when something big is on the line.

And we’re not just talking about titles here, because, of course, whenever you are playing for a title like a world championship, something big is on the line.

Rather, it's about individual moments – what’s on the line with THIS shot, or with THIS putt?

Sometimes, it seems, those key moments stretch on – for a few holes, for a playoff, for a final round.

For the ladies contending at the 2022 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships, that moment seemed to stretch on for the better part of a week.

Early on, all eyes were on the Lynds Twins, Jordan and Morgan, after Jordan grabbed the lead in round 1, followed by Morgan, who posted the hot round at Prides Creek on day 2 to grab a share of the lead with her sister, 6-shots ahead of the next best score.

Then came the Princeton Country Club course on day 3, with its long open golf course fairways, and Shiru Liu, a former University of Texas Ultimate star, who used her power advantage to close a six-stroke deficit and take the lead by one.

Round 4 was back on the wooded Haubstadt course, where 15-year-old Cadence Burge, who finished second in Junior Worlds in the Girls ≤15 division, shot the hot round from the chase card to get within one of the leader heading into the final.

With each of the four players having enjoyed at least a share of the lead at the end of a round, and with all of them within two-strokes of the leader, Jordan Lynds, the stage was set for a final round showdown to determine who would become a world champion.

FA1 final round lead card (L to R): Jordan Lynds, Shiru Liu, Cadence Burge, Morgan Lynds. Photo: Matt Rothstein / PDGA Media

Final Round Showdown

It was Jordan Lynds who came out of the gate firing, going four-for-four to start the round and extend her lead to two over Burge, who did well to just stick with Jordan during the opening stretch.

Morgan Lynds bounced back from a slow start with an eagle on hole 3 and managed to make par on holes five and six while Jordan and Cadence took bogeys.

The beginning of the back 9 is one of the toughest stretches on the Princeton Country Club course with four of the top-five most difficult holes on the course, and Burge began to inch her way towards the lead simply by avoiding bogeys, ultimately catching Jordan on hole 14 after all three of her card mates took a bogey 5.

It wasn’t until hole 15 – the 87th hole of the 90-hole tournament -- that Burge finally grabbed the solo lead after she caught a lucky break when her tee shot went long but hit a wooden stake marking the OB line and stayed in.

The 15-year-old budding star did what champions do -- she took advantage of her good fortune, knocking down a 25-foot putt for birdie.

From there, Burge, drawing on her experience as the FJ15 runner-up at last year’s Junior Worlds, closed out the tournament like a veteran, throwing high-margin shots, collecting three pars, and forcing Morgan and Jordan to try to come up with something special.

Cadence Burge lines up a tee shot on her way to a single-stroke victory in FA1. Photo: Matt Rothstein / PDGA Media

And Morgan Lynds almost did, flashing chains on 100-foot approach on hole 16, but ultimately it was not to be and Burge tapped-in on 18 for a one-shot victory, becoming the youngest Amateur World Champion since Rebecca Frazer, who, at 15 years, 3 months and 24 days of age, was only 6 days younger than Burge when she won in 2010.

Next up for Burge, who played her first tournament at 8 years old, will be another shot at the Junior Girls 15-and-under title at Junior Worlds. Jordan and Morgan Lynds, meanwhile, will be playing in the FPO division this week at the United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.

MA1: Krans is King

Paul Krans stayed laser focused during a wire-to-wire victory at the 2022 Amateur Disc Golf World Championships. Photo: Conrad Meyer / PDGA Media

On day one, day two, and day three, he shot just one stroke off the best round. On Saturday, he began the fifth – and final – round with a six-throw lead.

Why bury the lede?

Paul Krans is a world champion.

It wasn’t quite a drama-free victory lap.

First, U.S. Amateur champion Ilkin Groh – who, just a few weeks ago battled Krans through 7 playoff holes en route to his own Major victory – closed to within 4 at the start of the back nine, before fading to a fifth place finish.

Then, Mathew Helms birdied holes 13 and 14 – while Krans carded back-to-back bogeys – and suddenly the lead was down to three with four holes to play. 

The championship moment came on hole 16 – a tight, 376-foot par 3 with out-of-bounds right and left of the basket. 

Helms’ tee shot nicked a few branches of an early tree, leaving him 60-feet from the target. 

Groh’s throw skipped out-of-bounds immediately to the left of the hole.

Krans threw next – and decisively – placing his drive 25 feet under the basket. He would make the uphill putt, scoring the lone birdie of the group. 

… and securing a PDGA World Champion trophy for the mantle back home in Dudley, Mass.

Helms carded a 1022-rated final round, charging to a runner-up finish.

Austen Bates completed the podium at 35-under-par for the tournament.

Matthew Rothstein and Grant Zellner contributed to this article.