PCS Sula Open Postponed Until 2022, DGPT adds Des Moines Challenge
For Immediate Release:
Jeffersonville, VT – May 13, 2021: The PCS Sula Open planned to be held July 9-11 has been postponed and subsequently removed from the 2021 Disc Golf Pro Tour schedule due to Norwegian travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, and in cooperation with the PDGA, the DGPT will elevate the Des Moines Challenge presented by Discraft to a full Elite Series Points event to be held on the same dates in Iowa.
Current Norwegian travel restrictions necessitated this change; Norway is still in Phase 1 of it’s COVID-19 policy which stipulates no international travel into the country. “While our COVID-19 policy stipulates event confirmations to come at the 6-week mark, the international travel element of this event necessitated that the final decision-making process on the PCS Sula Open start ten weeks prior to the event,” said DGPT CEO and Director Jeff Spring. “After assessment with the PCS Sula team, and Euro Tour Manager Matej Verl, it became clear that, despite our willingness to use our full creativity and resources, there was no longer enough time to continue to hope for a change in travel restrictions” he continued.
“While we are disappointed that the event won’t take place in 2021, we are hopeful that it will return to both the EuroTour and the DGPT in 2022,” said Verl. Jostein Håland, one of the Norwegian Event Directors, also shares optimism for the future of the event. “With another year of planning, we feel we can deliver one of the best events on the Disc Golf Pro Tour,” he offered.
The Disc Golf Pro Tour now shifts to a city and a venue, Des Moines, with a long history of running high-level events, including the 2004 Pro World Championships. Ty Tannatt, owner of Wander Disc Golf, will serve as the Tournament Director and run the event with the Des Moines Metro Disc Golf Club, a club with a fantastic history that includes disc golf legends Jay & Des Reading. Pickard Park, the course being used, notably was designed by Julianna Korver, 5x World Champion, who is also registered for the event.
The Des Moines Challenge worked with the DGPT in the 2020 offseason event candidate but the event initially didn’t fit due to scheduling. “We had several discussions and plans with Ty and the team at Des Moines, but due to the date conflict, we felt it was best to wait until 2022 to bring the tour to Des Moines,” said Spring. “While we are sad not to fulfill our Norwegian plans, we are grateful to have fantastic and flexible partners like Ty, the PDGA, and a group of touring professionals that believe in the Tour in order to keep a DGPT Elite Series event on the schedule.”
In March, when travel restrictions continued to persist, the DGPT began to assess replacement events for PCS Sula. “I remembered how impressed we were with Ty and the Des Moines Challenge proposal last off-season,” said Seth Fendley, DGPT Operations Director. “When PCS Sula started to look like it was in jeopardy, we were able to coordinate with Ty to ensure we would have the ability to open the second wave of registration, which is key to elevating this event.”
The second wave of registration currently plans to open up 29 more spots for the FPO division and 50 more spots for the MPO division to add to the current fields. Both divisions play on Pickard Park, which has recently seen four new holes added, and the course lengthened in preparation for touring professional competition. Wave 2 of Registration will begin Thursday, May 20, and follow standard DGPT registration tiers. Tier 1 will be for DGPT Tour Pass holders, with all successive Tiers opening every week. Tier 2 will open on May 27 to 1000+/900+ (MPO/FPO) rated players, Tier 3 will open on June 3 to 970+/870+ rated players, Tier 4 will open on June 10 to 935+/835+, rated and Tier 5 will open on June 17 to 900+ rated MPO players while FPO will have open registration.
“We know that this change is not ideal, but we understand that, due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DGPT must be flexible,” said Spring. “We truly look forward to the hope of a Norwegian trip in 2022, and thank all the players, event staff, and the team at Des Moines Challenge for rising to the challenge of the moment and allowing the Pro Tour to continue to move forward and deliver on our commitment to the touring professionals of the sport.”
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For media inquiries, contact DGPT’s Marketing & Communications Manager Baker Helton at baker@dgpt.com
