After the fourth long and exhausting day of competition at the Maple Hill Open, two players emerged as first time winners of this prestigious event: Paige Pierce #29190 and Jeremy Koling #33705. Pierce is no stranger to victory on the 2014 PDGA National Tour. She has now won four out of the five NT events this year, giving her a significant advantage in the overall points standings for the series. Koling isn't new to victory either but this is arguably the biggest win of his professional career.
After another long 12 hour day of disc golf at the Maple Hill Open, a majority of the field has now been cut. The 72 men and 12 women that survived the 3-day battle of heat, rain, and wind will play one last 18-hole round on the Maple Hill Gold Course. The competitors that have made it to this point are all guaranteed to cash but for many of the players cashing was never really a concern. The touring pros that have made this sport their career don’t come out to make the cut. They come out to win.
Torrential rain and thunderstorms have plagued a majority of the PDGA National Tour and Major events thus far in 2014. All signs and forecasts predicted a full day of rain and wind for the second round of the Maple Hill Open presented by Vibram and unfortunately it was one of the few occasions where the meteorologists were dead on. By 11:30AM, the rain started coming down. When the women’s lead card teed off at 3:30PM, it was still going strong. Hurricane Arthur provided a continuous downpour for a solid 10+ hours here in Leicester with the only upside being the exciting shifts on the leaderboards.
Who cares? Don’t answer that. It’s not really a question. It’s a concept that Tournament Director and head of Vibram Disc Golf, Steve Dodge #22042, came up with for the Maple Hill Open. It’s even written on a sign as you drive past all the other signs advertising the event leading up to the Maple Hill entrance. The point of “who cares?” is that disc golf events should be bigger and more important than they are today.
In the world of disc golf, there are some events that don’t need much of an introduction. Formerly known as the Vibram Open, the Maple Hill Open presented by Vibram (MHO) is certainly one of the elite few tournaments that fall into this category. It’s referred to by many pros as the best event on tour, and with good reasons. It takes place on one of the most beautiful and difficult private courses in the country, the payout is massive, and the competition is fierce to say the least. It’s also stop number five of eight on the 2014 PDGA National Tour Elite Series.
What most people know as The Vibram Open has officially been renamed this year to Vibram Presents the Maple Hill Open. The name is new but the quality of the event certainly isn’t. It has been and will continue to be one of the best disc golf events of the year, played on one of the most challenging courses in the country, Maple Hill Gold. If you’re lucky enough to qualify, the world will have a chance to watch you on the weekend long live broadcast starting Friday July 3rd and finishing up on Sunday July 6th.
