The 2014 Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by ABC Discs is shaping up to be one of the biggest disc golf events of the year. It will take place September 12th, 13th and 14th in Peoria, IL and in terms of the pro payout, it will be the largest in Illinois’ history.

“It’s been such a great season on the national level, from the amazing finish at the Maple Hill Open to the playoff at the Pro World’s between Ricky Wysocki #38008 and Paul McBeth #27523. People are antsy to get out and watch the action in their own backyard,” said Tournament Director Nate Heinold #49340, who also happens to be the Vice President of the title sponsor, Ledgestone Insurance. The tournament is only in its 4th year, and it’s already scheduled to be a part of the PDGA National Tour Elite Series for the 2015 season. An astonishing $12,000 will be added to the pro purse and Heinold expects the first prize payout in the Open division to be a whopping $3,000!

As usual, amateur players won’t be short changed. The player’s pack for this year’s event will consist of five discs, a full color shirt, a hat, towel and other goodies. Players will also get free entry into the ice cream social and the player’s party. That’s not even the most impressive thing – once again no money will come out of the amateur entry fees to pay for any tourney expenses, player pack items, etc. “It’s fairly unusual that amateur players get such a great deal, but we take pride in making sure amateur players walk away from this tournament feeling great. We raise enough money to pay for everything without dipping into anyone’s entry fees,” said Heinold.

St. Jude also continues to be the big charity that the event supports. “We are excited to have St. Jude on board as a charity again this year. We were able to raise $5,800 last year. They have a local facility in Peoria and it’s such a great cause,” said Heinold. A large raffle will take place on Sunday afternoon to help raise even more money for St. Jude’s Peoria location.

The tournament starts Friday afternoon at the renowned McNaughton Park for the Open, Open Women and Masters divisions. The long tee layout will be played for the first round, dubbed “McNasty” by the local players. The tournament will also feature live disc golf coverage from Terry Miller #10738, AKA “The Disc Golf Guy” and his SmashBoxxTV crew on their YouTube channel. Saturday’s coverage will feature all divisions playing two rounds and Sunday will spotlight the final rounds for all divisions. The finals will take place at Northwood Park in Morton, one of the top courses in Illinois. The grueling final 9 will feature the top four players from Open, Open Women, Masters and Men’s Advanced divisions.

Players will be once again be competing for the famous Ledgestone Cup and winners will be crowned in more than 14 divisions. For more information, please visit the Ledgestone Open’s website and be sure to tune in Friday-Sunday for coverage of the 2014 Ledgestone Open presented by ABC Discs, streaming live on SmashBoxxTV’s YouTube channel!

The Battle at Westwood

To add to the excitement, SmashBoxxTV will also be live streaming a doubles exhibition match at Westwood Park , in much the same manner as they did prior to the 2014 Pro Worlds for the "Battle at Blue Lake". Top pros Nikko Locastro #11534, Devan Owens #25168 and Paul Ulibarri #27171 will be teaming up with local pros Nate Heinold #49340, Garry Patton #49643 and Nathan Yemm #26549, to take on Westwood, a course that will be featured at the 2015 Ledgestone Open on the PDGA National Tour.  

This epic event is would not be possible without the support of the many great sponsors involved, including but not limited to the following:

• ABC Discs
• Erie Insurance
• Pekin Visitors Bureau
• Peoria Frisbee Club
• Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Village of Morton
• Plastic Addicts
• Advanced Energy Diagnostics
• McDonald’s
• Washington Community Bank
• Paragon Disc Golf
• Joan’s Trophy

To view the entire list of the event sponsors, or if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor for the PDGA National Tour event next year, please check out the Sponsors page on the Ledgestone Open’s website.