Thomas Gilbert is representing Team Canada at the 2023 WFDF PATDGC this weekend. Photo: DGPT

Three countries are kicking off the inaugural World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) Pan American Team Disc Golf Championship this weekend at Langley Pond Disc Golf Park in Warrenville, South Carolina, United States.

Release: WFDF hosts inaugural Pan American Team Disc Golf Championship »

Teams from the United States, Canada and Colombia will compete all weekend in the first running of this event. All play will be a mixture of doubles and singles matchplay, utilizing teams of MPO, FPO and FP40 players representing their countries.

• 2023 WFDC PATDGC Schedule and Format »
• 2023 WFDF PATDGC Team Rosters »

The event is being run by WFDF and hosted by the PDGA.

Team Canada's Sofia Donnecke lines up a shot on Friday at Langley Pond. Photo: PDGA Media

Day 1 — Friday

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Canada — 19 points
2. USA — 15 points
3. Colombia — 2 points

NOTES

• After Friday's opening round of doubles, Team USA jumped to an 8-4 lead over Team Canada.
  • Team USA picked up wins from the teams of Ryan Mulder and Kenneth C. Tyburski as well as JohnE McCray and Leah Tsinajinnie. Mulder and Tyburski recorded their win on the second-to-last hole of match play and McCray and Tsinajinnie won with two holes to go over Colombia.

Team Colombia's Juan Manuel Castillo battled Team Canada's Thomas Gilbert until the end in singles. Photo: PDGA Media

• Game 2 shifted to singles action with Team Canada narrowing the deficit to two points behind Team USA.
  • Sofia Donnecke and Emily Beach battled to a draw with each earning one point for their teams. USA's Jake McIntosh won his match in 11 holes and Justin De Silva picked up a win over Colombia in a match that went the distance, all the way to the final hole. Thomas Gilbert picked up a late win over Colombia's Juan Manuel Castillo for Team Canada.
• The marathon opening day finished with another round of doubles as a light rain began to fall in South Carolina. But that didn't slow down a final surge from Team Canada to the top of the leaderboard.
  • Thomas Gilbert and Stewart McIsack came out strong, finishing 4-under through 13 holes — an impressive scorecard in alternate doubles — in the woods of Langley Pond for a win for Team Canada. Justin Da Silva and Karen Martel also notched four points for Canada with a 3/2 win over Colombia. Team Colombia's Carlos Alberto Moncada Arenas and Laura Tatiana Niño Carranza got on the board with a draw with USA's Jake McIntosh and Nina Guerrero.

Ryan Mulder opened Saturday with a big win for Team USA. Photo: PDGA Media

Day 2 — Saturday

TEAM STANDINGS

1. USA — 31 points
2. Canada — 27 points
3. Colombia — 2 points

Team USA's Nina Guerrero lines up a shot on Saturday at Langley Pond. Photo: PDGA Media

NOTES

• A big day from Team USA and the steady rain started early on Friday.
  • In the MPO1 showdown, 2023 United States Amateur Disc Golf champion Ryan Mulder cruised to a 5/4 win over Team Canada's Thomas Gilbert. That sparked a big day from USA, who also picked up singles wins from Ken Tyburski (4/3), Nick Wilder (4/3) and Leah Tsinajennie (4/3). Team Canada picked up a win from Sophia Donnecke (6/4). That tied things up heading on the team standings between the USA and Canada.
• As the rain continued at Langley Pond, the competition stayed just as heated as well in Friday afternoon's doubles round.
  • The showdown shifted to the FPO1/FPO2 match between USA and Canada. The team of Emily Beach and Nina Guerrero went plus-2 with three holes to go and held on for a 2/1 win over Canada's Donnecke and Karen Martel. Team USA added another win from Ray Hill and Mulder over Colombia (4/3). Team Canada — Dan Laitsch and Gilbert — picked up a win over Colombia in the MPO1/MPM match.

Day 3 — Sunday

• Singles action closed out the round robin on Sunday morning.
  • Colombia and Canada picked up a pair of wins. Milton Torres (COL), Laura Nino (COL), Karen Martel (CAN), Stewart McIsack (CAN) recorded with along with Team USA's Ryan Mulder. Canada's Justin Da Silva and Jake McIntosh tied, earning one point each.
  • Sunday morning's results gave Team USA a two-point win in the round robin standings, which featured six games throughout the weekend. That set up a USA vs. Canada showdown in the Gold/Silver match. Three matches would determine the winner.

Match 1: JohnE McCray and Emily Beach vs. Thomas Gilbert and Sofia Donnecke

Match 2: Ray Hill and Ken Tyburski vs. Justin Da Silva and Stewart McIsack

Match 3: Nina Guerrero and Ryan Mulder vs. Dan Laitsch and Karen Martel

• Team USA jumped to an early lead in the medal match with a 3/1 win from Guerrero and Mulder over Laitrsch and Martel. The final two matches would come down to the wire.
• Da Silva and McIsack notched the win on the final hole of doubles over Tyburski and Hill, tying things up and shifting the attention to the MPO1/FPO1 match.
• Team Canada went up by as many as four coming down the stretch, including this birdie from Gilbert off a Donnecke drive. Team USA responded, picking up wins on back-to-back holes before Team Canada sealed the the match and the title at the inaugural WFDF Pan American Team Disc Golf Championship on the 16th hole.

Final Standings

Gold: Team Canada

Silver: Team USA

Bronze and Spirit Award (as voted by competitors): Colombia