For Immediate Release:
DGPT Announces Update to Tour Championship Format & End Of Season Awards
February 23, 2023: The Disc Golf Pro Tour is excited to announce an update to its Championship event format. The DGPT Championship, taking place in October of this year, will once again take place at Nevin Park in Charlotte, NC. The field of competitors will expand slightly this year, with the FPO field adding four players for twenty total qualifying spots. The MPO field will stay the same, with the top thirty-two players in DGPT points qualifying at the end of the regular season (MVP Open at Maple Hill). The play-in event for the bottom two spots in each field will be eliminated. However, if there is a player who has won a PDGA Pro Major or a DGPT Elite, Elite+, or Playoff event in 2023 who otherwise does not qualify for the DGPT Championship, they will replace the lowest seed in their respective division and will be invited to play.
The DGPT Championship will maintain its stroke play format but will now have two distinct halves – a semifinal and a final. The semifinals and finals will have two rounds each, for a total of four rounds.
Semifinals (rounds 1 & 2)
All players who qualified for the event will compete in a two-round semifinal. Instead of receiving byes to later rounds, players will be given a number of “starting strokes” at the beginning of the semifinals based on their seed as determined by DGPT points standings. After the first two rounds, the field will be cut. The top twelve men and eight women will advance to the finals. Any ties will be broken by seed.
MPO Seeds & Strokes
|
Seeding Positon |
Starting Stroke Advantage |
|
1 |
-6 |
|
2 |
-5 |
|
3-4 |
-4 |
|
5-8 |
-3 |
|
9-16 |
-2 |
| 17-24 |
-1 |
| 25-32 |
0 |
FPO Seeds & Strokes
|
Seeding Position |
Starting Stroke Advantage |
| 1 |
-5 |
|
2 |
-4 |
|
3-4 |
-3 |
|
5-8 |
-2 |
|
9-12 |
-1 |
|
13-20 |
0 |
Finals (rounds 3 & 4)
After the second round and the accompanying field cut, all scores will reset to zero. Players will then compete over two rounds of regular stroke play to decide a champion with no stroke advantages based on seed.
“The alterations to the 2023 Tour Championship allow for all players to start competition together in the two-round Semifinal, but retains the advantage that players have earned throughout the season by awarding starting strokes based on seeding,” said DGPT Tour Director and CEO Jeff Spring. “Fans will now get to watch the best players in the world starting in round one, with each round continuing to bring consequential excitement. With advancing player scores being reset to even par, we expect the two-round Final to bring a new level of excitement to the event while aligning more closely with the multi-round events that the DGPT runs throughout the season.”
End Of Season Awards
After the conclusion of the DGPT Championship, the DGPT will announce its end-of-season awards. The updated 2023 criteria for end-of-season awards are as follows.
Player of the Year
This award will be determined by a split vote between media members (50%) and DGPT Tour Card players (50%).
Rookie of the Year
To be eligible, a player must not have played more than three combined DGPT Elite Series events, PDGA National Tour events, or PDGA Professional Major events in a single previous season. Players who have competed in two or more PDGA Professional Majors in a single previous season will also be ineligible for the award. This award will be determined by a split vote between fans (50%) and media members (50%) (tiebreaker is DGPT points total).
Most Improved
This award will be determined by a split vote between fans (50%) and media members (50%) (tiebreaker is DGPT points total). All rookies are now ineligible for this award.
Comeback Player of the Year
This new award is intended to recognize a player who either returned from injury, busted a career slump with a strong season, returned to a full tour after a life event, or otherwise returned to the top of the game after being off the scene for a period of time. The award will be determined by a split vote between fans (50%) and media members (50%), who will vote on a list of no more than five competitors who will be nominated by DGPT Tour Card players.
1st Card All-Stars (4 Players)
Awarded to the top four players in DGPT Points Standings at the end of the season.
2nd & 3rd Card All-Stars (8 Players)
Determined by a three-factor calculation comprising fan votes (1/3rd weight), media member votes (1/3rd weight), and DGPT points standings (1/3rd weight).
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For media inquiries, please contact DGPT Communications Director Charles McCracken at charles@dgpt.com
