Drew Gibson taps in for the win at the 2022 Las Vegas Challenge. Photo: Disc Golf Pro Tour

This week, the Disc Golf Pro Tour kicks off with the Las Vegas Challenge presented by Innova.

The first Elite Event of the 2023 season is once again hosted at the Wildhorse Golf Club, but with significant course changes from last year. While previous editions have been contested on three different courses, this year the FPO field will compete exclusively on the Infinite and Innova courses while the MPO field will compete on the Millennium and Innova courses.

The 2023 LVC will feature two courses for the DGPT field. Photo: DGPT

Splitting up the courses means that the Millennium and Infinite courses can be tailored more specifically to the MPO and FPO fields, respectively. This also brings the event into compliance with DGPT Tour Standards moving forward as well as giving players the opportunity to play both of their field’s courses twice each.

Catrina Allen won the 2022 LVC on the final hole. Photo: Disc Golf Pro Tour

Last year’s LVC saw dramatic finishes to both the FPO and MPO divisions. Catrina Allen and Paige Pierce were tied for first at 29 strokes under par going into hole 18. Pierce went out of bounds on her second shot, giving Allen the luxury of laying up to secure a birdie and the win.

Gannon Buhr pushed Gibson to a four-hole playoff in 2022. Photo: Disc Golf Pro Tour

Drew Gibson and Gannon Buhr finished the final round tied at 39 strokes under par, leading to a four-hole playoff. On hole 7, Buhr’s drive landed in a hazard bunker and his par putt caught the band, while Gibson was able to lay up and take a par for his first Elite Series win since 2019.

While last year’s winners are confident in their abilities going into the 2023 season, they expressed more concern about this weekend’s weather than concern about their competition. The forecast for Henderson, NV calls for temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit with high winds and a strong chance of rain on Saturday.

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When asked about the weather during the Wednesday's press conference, Allen said, “I’m just looking outside at the dark sky and the 40 degree weather in the drizzle or snow that we’re getting and being mentally prepared for the conditions is what I’m really thinking about this weekend. (…) I think that’s going to be the biggest battle for me personally.”

Gibson shared a similar sentiment regarding focusing on his mental game, “I think this week with the wind and the conditions we’re going to be facing, it’s whoever can battle it the hardest and get through with the least amount of punishing mistakes.”

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Inclement weather is nothing new to the season's kickoff event, which has seen everything from high winds to snowstorms in recent years, but it certainly promises to test the physical skill and mental fortitude of the world's best disc golfers.

Live coverage kicks off at 12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific on the Disc Golf Network.